Increase our Faith

A sermon for Proper 22
October 2, 2022

“Increase our faith,” the apostles ask Jesus today. It seems strange to me that this group of men would need their faith increased. You and I perhaps, sure. But these men? They have been walking with Jesus, hearing him teach, seeing all sorts of signs and wonders, and yet they still ask, Increase our faith! On my worst days I like to remember this. If faith was sometimes hard for these men, for Peter and James and John and all the rest, then maybe it’s okay if it’s hard for me sometimes. And I can borrow their prayer, “Lord, increase my faith.” But what are we asking for? 

Oftentimes in American Christianity, we treat faith like money. You’ve heard me say that before. We think, if I work hard and get five faith tokens, I can buy that miracle or purchase that gift from God. That is not faith. That’s consumerism, and it’s idolatry. 

So what is faith? Faith and faithfulness are the same word in the Bible. Faith and faithfulness all come down to one thing: trusting in God, no matter what. Faith is all about our relationship with God–that’s why Jesus tells us about a servant and a master today. We have to learn to trust in God over time, as our relationship with God grows and deepens, and as God proves to be faithful to us, time and time again. When we see God show up, no matter what, we learn that we can trust God, that we can lean on God, that we can depend on God’s promises. We learn to have faith, because God is faithful. Even in times of trouble, even in times of despair, God shows up. Our problems may not go away; there may still be pain and struggle; but God is there, smack dab in the middle of it all. 

This is what we read from Lamentations today. From the pits of despair, in deep sadness and tribulation, the writer exclaims, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” This is something he has learned, something he has come to trust, even in the most unimaginable of times. He has learned that God shows up always, time and time again, no matter where we are at, no matter how far we have sunk. God is there, because God is faithful. To have faith means to trust in that. 

In a way, we’re all like rescue dogs. I remember when we got our dog Fancy. She’s a beagle-boxer mix, and had been wandering through the woods of Tennessee. She had a hole in her ear, probably from a fight. She was starving. When we brought her home, our other dog, Pete, was thrilled, over the moon. He loves other dogs. He ran around her, trying to get her to play. But she growled and snapped back at him. She wasn’t sure what to think of Molly and me, either. But over time, she learned that Pete was her friend. She learned that we were not going to hurt her. She learned that we loved her, that we were faithful to her. In response, she grew in her love and trust for us. She grew in her faith in us—she learned she could depend on us, count on us. 

We’re like that with God. Life breaks us down and hurts us sometimes. When we get wounded, we become just like Fancy, unable to trust anyone but ourselves. But God shows up. Day after day, God is there. And day after day after day, we learn that we can trust God, we can count on God. We can have faith in God, because God is faithful. 

When we pray like the disciples, “Lord, increase our faith,” we are actually praying for a deeper and more real relationship with God. We are praying that God would help our trust deepen and our love grow. We are praying for the grace to remember and know that God always shows up and can be counted on, no matter what, because God is faithful. 

This month marks the beginning of our stewardship drive. We are asking you to pray and consider how you will support this church family in the year 2023 with your time, talent, and treasure. I know most, if not all of you, are used to this. You are all faithful givers, and I am so grateful. 

Your pledge goes to make sure this church continues to be a sign in this community of the love of God in Christ Jesus. Your pledge makes sure that the gospel is preached, that forgiveness is declared to penitent sinners, that the Sacraments are rightly administered, that Jesus Christ is proclaimed, that our neighbors are loved. 

It is easy and tempting to reduce a pledge drive to a financial matter. But I don’t want us to do that. Instead, I want us to think about how turning in a pledge card is a small act of faith. Turning in a pledge card is a way of saying, “I don’t know what the coming year holds, but I’m going to commit myself to supporting the work of God this much every month.” It can be a way of saying, “God has been so faithful to me, so I am going to give back to God some of my blessings as a sign of my faithfulness in return.” It can also be a way of saying, “Lord, increase my faith. I’m going to commit this to you, and I’m going to depend on your promise that you will bless me for this sacrifice, that you will show up for me, that you will show yourself faithful. Through this small act, “Lord, increase my faith” in your goodness, in your love, in your faithfulness.

I promise you: God shows up. God always proves to be faithful. God always blesses us when we sacrifice to support the work of God and the Church in the world. This year, no matter the amount, take that step of faith. And as you turn in that pledge card, you might add that prayer from God, “O Lord, faithful God who always shows up and can be depended on, increase my faith.”