Proper 22 C October 2, 2016

Some years ago, the Communist Party held a great public rally—in what was then called the Soviet Union.
The party leader spoke for about 90 minutes on behalf of atheism—attempting to persuade the crowd to give up religion.
When he was finished—a young Russian Orthodox priest approached the platform and asked if he could speak.
The party leader agreed—but only gave him five minutes.
“I won’t need that much time,” the priest replied.
He then mounted the platform and cried out in a clear voice:  “Alleluia, Christ is risen!”
An immediate response came back from the crowd:  “The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!”
“That is all I have to say,” the priest said to the party leader.
“Nothing else is needed!”
During our recent visit to Russia—Elizabeth and I were surprised by the resurgence of religion in the post-soviet era.
Churches that had been closed, damaged, or destroyed by the communists are being repaired and rebuilt.
Beautiful new basilicas and cathedrals are going up everywhere.
Crowds of worshippers—young as well as old—men as well as women—are filling the churches to hear the Gospel and attend mass.
And they are bringing their children to be baptized.
We were told that 90% of Russians now identify themselves as Russian Orthodox Christians.
 
Eighty years of hardship and persecution has failed to kill the faith of the Russian people!
 
Today’s Scripture readings all address the question of faith.
 
In the Old Testament reading—the prophet Habakkuk speaks about a time when Israel was afflicted by danger abroad—and violence at home.
It seemed that the Law no longer enforced Righteousness—and the courts had ceased to uphold Justice.
The nation seemed to have lost its Moral Compass—and their leaders were without Vision.
Government was no longer effective in serving the needs of the people.
 
Forgive me for observing that it sounds a lot like the situation today!
 
Into this chaotic mess—the prophet Habakkuk spoke some encouraging words.
To the common people—who were struggling to maintain their families and their way of life—he made this bold statement:
“The righteous shall live by their faith.”  
 
“The righteous shall live by their faith.”
In other words--faith is what will sustain good people in such times.
 Faith is what will see God’s people through the crisis—and bring them to a better place.
As the writer of Psalm 37 says:
“Put your trust in the LORD—and do good.
“Commit your way to the LORD—and he will bring it to pass.”
 
Likewise—St. Paul speaks about faith in our Epistle reading from Second Timothy.
“I am reminded of your sincere faith”—he writes to his young friend Timothy:
“That same faith lived in your grandmother Lois—and your mother Eunice—and now, I am sure, it lives in you.”
Both Paul and Timothy are facing challenging times—and Paul concludes by exhorting Timothy to hold onto his faith.
 
Like the ancient Israelites—and like Paul and Timothy--we depend on our faith to get us through the hard times.
We know that our faith can sustain us—even when things get really bad—even when nothing else can.
But what if we have no faith—or don’t have enough faith?
 
That’s where the Apostles found themselves in today’s Gospel reading.
And so they came to Jesus—and made this rather sheepish appeal:
“Lord, increase our faith!”
 
Let us acknowledge—first of all—that the Apostles’ instincts were right.
They came to the right place.
Jesus is the one to come to when we are lacking in faith.
 
Faith is not something we can conjure up from within ourselves.
We can’t make ourselves have faith.
We can’t make ourselves have more faith.
Faith is a gift from God—and true faith can only come from God.
 
One of my favorite Scriptures says as much.
Ephesians 2, verse 8, says:
“For by Grace are you saved—through faith—and that not of yourselves;
“It is the Gift of God.”
This tells us that we cannot save ourselves—any more than we can make ourselves have faith.
Salvation comes through faith--and faith comes as a gift from God!
 
So the Apostles were right in coming to Jesus with their problem.
But at first, he doesn’t seem to help them.
“If you only had faith the size of a mustard seed”—Jesus says—“you could perform miracles.”
A mustard seed is very small.
And so—(Jesus is saying)—is the Apostles’ faith!
 
But then he says something helpful.
Jesus reminds them that we don’t deserve special thanks for being obedient to God.
We shouldn’t expect praise when we have done everything God has commanded.
After all—we are only doing our duty!
If we are faithful servants—we will always be doing what our Master commands.
 
The point is this:
Doing what God commands will increase our faith.
Acting on the faith we have will cause our faith to grow.
Exercising our faith will make it stronger.
The mustard seed will grow—and become much larger--if we will only put the faith we have into practice!
 
Perhaps that’s one reason our faith is so small—because we don’t practice it as we should.
If we don’t act on our faith—it won’t grow.
If we don’t exercise our faith—it won’t get any stronger.
If we want God to increase our faith—then perhaps we should try acting on the faith we have!
 
And stewardship is a good place to start.
Yes--stewardship!
Stewardship is really about exercising our faith when it comes to the subject of money.
Stewardship is about putting our faith into practice when it comes to money and material possessions.
It stands to reason, then—that practicing good stewardship will increase our faith.
 
But first—we have to get past the word itself—and the feelings it stirs up!
 
Have you ever noticed the three words that are hidden in the word “stewardship?”
First—there’s the word “stew.”
That’s what a congregation gets into—after the Rector preaches a sermon on stewardship.
Then—there’s “war.”
That’s what breaks out whenever money is discussed.
And finally—there’s “ship.”
That’s what gets rocked when the waves of criticism hit it.
And—like the Titanic—that’s what will sink if financial support drains away!
 
“Stewardship.”
What the word actually means is exercising our faith--doing what Our Lord commands—when it comes to money and material possessions.
 
If you want God to increase your faith—then try taking a risk.
Try giving more to the church this year.
Try giving more—even if your income hasn’t gone up.
That will mean trusting God to provide.
And your faith will grow!
 
Try making a commitment to “tithe.”
That means giving 10% of your income directly to God’s work.
Even if you don’t think you can “tithe” right now—make a commitment to move towards it.
Try giving 1% more this year—and each succeeding year—until you reach a tithe.
That will mean trusting your financial future to God—and your faith will grow!
 
Try thinking about your money as a gift from God—not something you struggled to acquire by your own efforts.
And try thinking about stewardship as a joy and a privilege—rather than an obligation.
Stewardship is actually an opportunity—an opportunity to do something good and lasting with your life.
It’s the chance to use your time, talent, and treasure for God’s purposes.
And in the final analysis--that’s the only thing that really matters!
 
If you want God to increase your faith—then try taking a risk.
Try putting the faith you have into practice—and acting on it.
This year--try stepping out in faith—especially in your stewardship of money and material possessions.
 
Start acting boldly on the faith you have—to do what Our Lord commands--and your faith will grow!
 
AMEN.