Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!” (Luke 17: 4 -6, New Living Translation)

[Some of you who know Susan’s family, the Neals (Bruce and Barb), may care to know that Susan’s youngest sister, Jennifer (61yrs old), passed away this past weekend succumbing to a nasty, aggressive rare form of cancer. Please keep our family in your prayers Thank you.]

                 I know that the more familiar version of this text comes from Matthew’s Gospel. In that passage, Jesus tells his followers that if we have even a mustard seed’s worth of faith, we could move mountains “There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” (Matthew 17: 20, The Message Bible) But I don’t think I am up to dealing with any mountains today.  With God’s help, I think, I pray, that I may be able to start with something much smaller, like a mulberry bush and work my way up to throwing a mountain or two aside, later.

                There are times when, like the disciples, I long to have the sort of faith that would be invincible, unshakeable, limitless, fearless, indomitable. Never mind mountains, I would love to be able to look at the world right now with its wars, famines, death, evil, inanities, poor leadership, bad politics and social decay and not lose faith.  I keep telling myself that God is charge and try not to succumb to fear and doubt. But sometimes, the mountains crop up and block the view of the God-filled horizon. Show us, Jesus, how to increase our faith.

                Perhaps, it’s not the quantity of our faith, it’s the quality.

                I am working on another 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. The scene, a painting of a seaside town, offers a kaleidoscope of colours. It has been very challenging which is the way I like my jigsaw puzzles. But I thought that I had lost a piece, an edge piece. There is nothing worse than doing a whole puzzle and finding it lacks just one piece to be completed. I could not find that piece among the all the remaining pieces.  Then a couple of days ago, I found it. It was right there all along. It was a very tiny piece, yet much needed to finish the puzzle.

                Perhaps, Jesus is saying that even a tiny portion of faith helps us face the puzzles in our lives, both big and small.  That tiny seed of faith, when cultivated, can grow and become significant enough to help us face whatever life throws at us.  Some degree of faith is needed to give us the strength and courage to deal with life’s challenges. For some, it may be the missing piece, but it is right there for any of us to discover and engage. We’re not whole until the last piece, faith, is applied to our situations, to our living. Faith is not measured by how many times we have gone to church this year, how long our prayers are, how much Bible we have memorized, how much we have given to charity. These are good results of faith.  It’s not the amount of our faith; it is its tenacity, its empowerment, its inspiration, its boldness and its perseverance which distinguishes it. A little faith can go a long way.

                The Apostle Paul never quantified faith, but it was the bedrock of much of his writings. Faith was the act of being connected with God, a salvation freely given through Jesus Christ.  Faith was getting right with God. Faith was the confidence that through Jesus Christ we are saved and given hope. Paul didn’t put faith in a measuring cup. It was boundless, free, energizing. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” (Romans 3:22) We live by that faith. Perhaps, we need not, should not, over-complicate it, over-theorize, twist it inside out, or muddle it up with too much theory and theology.  Have the simple faith that Jesus loves us. “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” (Ephesians 3;12) What more do we need to know?

                So, who knows? Today, a mulberry bush. Tomorrow, a mountain. With God’s help, we will overcome.

                “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

 Prayer:

Our faithful God, we confess that we act more by sight than we do by faith. So, grant us the fresh flow of your Love and Grace, so that faith make take a deeper root in us. Help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the perfector of our faith, so as to understand and experience that he stands with us in and through all of life’s challenges. Nurture our faith; help it to grow; help it to flourish. In Jesus’ name, amen.