Proper 22C (2 Tim 1:1-14 and Luke 17:5-10)  10/03/2010

John Westerhoff, an Episcopal priest and theologian, shared his understanding of faith development in his book, Will Our Children Have Faith? Westerhoff opens his book by stating, “It is a truism that Christian faith and education are inevitable companions. Wherever living faith exists, there is a community endeavoring to know, understand, live and witness to that faith.”[i] Throughout the remainder of Westerhoff’s book, he clearly explains that his definition of education is not limited to the classroom. The companionship of faith and education is most profoundly experienced as we learn in the fullness of our journey through life. Last Sunday morning at our forum, the St. John’s J2A pilgrims shared highlights from their trip to Scotland and those in attendance heard their profound experiences – experiences that will shape and inform their journey through life. Throughout the forum, each pilgrim came forward and shared some concerns they had before the trip (the potential difficulty of living without electronic gadgets, the discomfort of living on a vegetarian diet, and the unease of traveling with people that you barely know); and they also shared their understanding of life after the trip (garden grown vegetables are not so bad, traveling without electronic gadgets fosters conversation and friendship, and the beauty of the Scottish landscape revealed to them the presence of the holy). The pilgrimage was a profound experience for those who made the trip, but as members of this community, as people who witness the pilgrims’ journey, we encounter the holy and we are profoundly changed as well. Profoundly changed in our understanding of life and profoundly changed in our understanding of faith. The gift of faith, freely given to us from God, but a gift that is ours to grow through our discovery; our determination; our wonder of the holy. Our faith must be “rekindled” as the author of Paul’s letter to Timothy tells us this morning.

Paul’s letter to Timothy first reminds Timothy of the gift of his sincere faith, a faith that has been present throughout his family and is now present in the life of Timothy, himself. Paul also reminds Timothy “to rekindle the gift of God that is within you”…the gift of faith. God’s intention is to give us this gift of grace, this gift of faith, “with great power and love and self-discipline.” The gift of faith draws us closer to God, a loving God who invites us to come into the presence of the holy, (as our J2A pilgrims can tell you). Faith, however, is an action word and requires our participation. A pilgrim is one who is an active participant in the life and understanding of their faith. True, that faith is a gift, but faith is not a gift that we can simply put on and wear like a coat, keeping us warm and dry throughout the stormy seasons of our lives. Faith is a gift that compels us to engage the world in witness to our faith.

Paul continues to tell Timothy of the fruits of faith. An active and lively faith generates power and confidence to pursue the “holy calling by which you have been called,” according to the “purpose and grace of God.” And the power and confidence of faith that Paul describes to Timothy is the same power of which Jesus speaks in our Gospel lesson this morning. “If you had faith the size of a [tiny] mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.” Jesus traveled throughout all of Judea with his disciples and we know from Scripture that he was confident that his disciples had the necessary faith, but they did not understand the transformative power of the faith they had been given. “Increase our faith,” ask the disciples, but Jesus’ response tells them they have been given all they need, if they only could understand the power of the gift. We, too, often short change God’s gift to us, but the gift of faith is given to us fully loaded – there are no options or accessories to be added later. We become confident of the power of faith through our continued and ever growing understanding of how closely, how intimately we are connected to God.

Throughout the course of history, pilgrims have traveled far and wide seeking the holy. There is always something to be found and in the miracle of the discovery the pilgrim is changed forever. They return home and those who witness to the experiences of the pilgrim are changed as well. But in the routine of our daily lives, we must remember we are always Christian pilgrims on the road of life. As pilgrims of God, as children of God, we have been given the gift of faith. A faith that God has given to us in the expectation that we will be good stewards of this gift of great power and love. As Paul reminded Timothy, we too are reminded today, “rekindle the gift of God that is within you” and seek to be a witness to the power and love of Christ.

AMEN

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[i] John Westerhoff, Will Our Children Have Faith?, revised and expanded edition, (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 2000), 1.