Luke 17:5-10
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Today we celebrate World Communion Sunday. This is a time when we celebrate communion with all of our brothers and sisters around the world. It is also a time for United Methodists to collect a free will denomination-wide offering to provide scholarships for U.S. (racial- and ethnic-minority) and international undergraduate and graduate scholarships.1
It is also a day that we talk about faith. We hear in Luke that we need faith only the size of a mustard seed, but I counter we need to actually live in faith even if it is the size of a mustard seed. We can profess things with our lips, but it needs to be in our hearts. WE also hear in 2 Timothy 1:1-14 today a reminder “to keep alive the gift that God has given you.” (v.6).
These are not easy tasks to accomplish, especially in our community today. Today we come together to celebrate faith and communion, but also to pray for the two families in the community who have lost children – another one of our most precious gifts. How do you keep the faith we are supposed to have when such tragedy takes place?
We are reminded not only of the miracles faith can provide (telling the Mulberry to pull itsefl up and throw itself into the sea), but then we are provided immediately after with what seems to be a bit of harsh reality. We are reminded that the servant serves all day, comes in tired and hungry and has to serve his master again, before eating himself and he does all of this without the least thanks. Isn't that what faith feels like most days? It feels like just doing what you need to do. We don't usually celbrate it, we don't look on it as a big deal, we just do it.
2 Timothy cautions us in this though. If we continue about the business without taking the time to marvel in what Jesus has done for us then we can loose our faith. If we do not nurture our gifts through sharing what God has done with others, prayer, community, the Word, and Sacraments than what helps us to keep the faith we were blessed with?
2 Timothy also reminds us that there will be times when we suffer, but in our faith we can stand in confidence of God's grace. We can be assured of God's presence and guidance.
So faith is truly a two way street. We have to be willing to begin with the mustard seed to trust God with those things, God will in turn grow our faith to be bigger and more wild than the Mustard plant, yet at the same time we need to nurture these gifts. We need to respond. It is like any relationship we need to respond and interact with God in order to have a good relationship and faith that can stand up to these tough times.
Right now our community is spinning. Just stand in the halls of the schools, listen to the adults and the kids who can not grasp how innocent, good, kids could suddenly be gone. We have friends and neighbors who are not only holding their kids tight, but don't have the faith that maybe someone here does. Maybe that have not experienced it. I think this is where 2 Timothy calls us to stand up and share our faith. That does not mean we go about proclaiming all the troubles go away in Jesus, but we reach out and listen to their pain, we bring food, we comfort, and we pray. It means that we look for those reeling and hurting and offer compassion, assistance and truly live in our faith. It also means that our faith may need some nurture, we may need to seek community, someone to talk to, we may need to spend extra time in prayer, and maybe while we celebrate the sacrament of communion today we take some extra time to make sure we are anxiously anticipating the encounter with God who has promised to ALWAYS meet us at the table.
1http://www.gbod.org/lead-your-church/lectionary-planning-helps/twentieth-sunday-after-pentecost-world-communion-sunday
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