Luke 17:5-6
Acts 2:42-47
“It only Takes a Spark”
By: Ken Sauer, Pastor of East Ridge United Methodist Church, Chattanooga, TN
I think, oftentimes, many of us are intimidated by our faith.
Now what in the world do I mean by that?
Well, for one thing, the mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
And we are the Church.
But, you or I might think to ourselves, “How can I possibly fulfill such a task? I am only one person. I don’t consider myself to be very talented at sharing my faith.
Perhaps I am a bit shy.
What if people reject my message?
What can I offer; I have so little.
I am not talented enough.
I am not smart enough.
People are liable to laugh at me.
Who am I?
And do I even have enough faith to engage in such an undertaking?”
Our call as Christians and the conviction we have, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can be overwhelming!
“I am just one person, what can I do?”
In our Lesson from Luke, the apostles were feeling very much the same way.
When faced with what seemed to be an insurmountable task they cried out to Jesus, “Increase our faith!”
How many of us have done the exact same thing?
I know I have.
And there is nothing wrong with this.
When faced with the call of discipleship, the apostles felt as if they just didn’t have enough faith for the task.
So Jesus replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
What in the world does Jesus mean by that?
A mustard seed is just about one of the smallest seeds in existence.
If you held it in your hand; you might not even be able to even see it.
And sometimes we have trouble seeing the faith that we do have, do we not?
When the going gets rough or we are convicted to tell someone about Jesus, we may have a hard time finding the faith to do it…
…but Jesus is telling us it is already inside of us!!!
All we have to do is tap into it!!!
Just look at what happened to the apostles after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost!
That frightened band of followers were empowered to stand up in front of all the world and proclaim with boldness, clarity and conviction, “let all of Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
And, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said… ‘what shall we do?’”
The answer, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
We are told that “Those who accepted [this] message were baptized and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
Do you think that the disciples would have ever dreamed that this was going to be possible?
Just days before they had locked themselves in behind closed doors for fear of the very people who were to become their brothers and sisters in Christ!
And yet, through their willingness to believe and trust in God, together, they were used to save multitudes!!!
And the disciples were just ordinary folk, like you and I!
But they were the Church of Jesus Christ, just like you and I, as well!!!
Immediately, “They [had] devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
As a result, “Everyone was filled with awe, and may wonders and miraculous signs were done…
…all the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
They became a family linked by the bond of faith.
“…They broke bread together in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Who would have thunk it?
All they had was a mustard seed size faith!!!
Who would have thunk it possible?
But you know, when we as a Church, live like this, we find, perhaps to our own amazement and surprise, that we have a new spring in our step!
And there is an attractiveness to us, a new energy found as we celebrate God’s generosity by being generous ourselves.
And that attractiveness is what draws other people in.
Of course, this takes faith, and it must be done in the community of the Church.
We cannot do it alone.
We must do it together.
That is God’s plan.
And that is Who and What we are!!!
When the apostles said to Jesus, “We just don’t have sufficient strength to do what You ask. Lord, increase our faith.”
Jesus responds by saying, basically, “You already have faith sufficient for what I am asking.
All it takes is faith no bigger than a mustard seed.
If you act on that faith, you can tell that mulberry tree over there to pull itself out by the roots and jump into the ocean and it will.”
Obviously, Jesus is speaking figuratively here.
We aren’t to take it literally.
Faith isn’t a magic trick by which we are empowered to do spectacular landscaping: “Tulip bulbs, plant yourselves!
Mulberry tree, show me your roots, and then go jump in the lake!”
What Jesus is saying is that we, as the Church have enough faith to change the world for Christ!
Elsewhere Jesus emphasizes the wonder of the mustard seed.
It’s half the size of a grain of rice, yet it grows into a bush so large that birds come and build nests in it.
In other words, others come and find their home in the Church which is built on faith.
And this is a faith that calls us forth and shapes everything about us!!!
We become the Body of Christ on this earth.
We are empowered to continue the ministry of Christ—which is our calling!
And all it takes is trusting God to be God.
We need not be Superman or Wonderwoman.
All we need is God and one another.
All we need to do is, “Just do it!”…
…to stop wringing our hands and act on the faith which lives in each of us!!!
And you and I are blessed to be part of a local church with many, many opportunities to do this!
For example, on Saturday, June 5th, we will be meeting here at the church at 10 a.m. in order to take a walk around the surrounding neighborhood and pray for the people who live in the homes outside the walls of this building.
Then, on Saturday, June 26th we will gather together in order to give away free canolopes to these very same people…
…with no strings attached!!!
Currently, we are collecting school supplies.
With the economy the way it is buying school supplies can be overwhelming for strapped parents.
What an opportunity for us to reach out and give to our community!!!
We will be collecting school supplies all summer long.
There is a list of the supplies needed just outside these doors and a box to put them in.
On Saturday, July 31st, before the new school year begins we will give the supplies away in our Family Life Center.
We will also have snacks and refreshments for those who come.
What an opportunity for us to get to know our neighbors and invite them to come and find Christ!
We can pick up the items as we shop for groceries, visit the pharmacy and so forth.
All it takes to do this is the mustard seed of faith that we already have!!!
At the same time, we are planning to have a Block Party next spring…
…perhaps on a Saturday before Easter.
Think about it.
Most neighbors don’t know one another.
There just isn’t much interaction within communities, and yet most people are looking for ways to get to know one another.
Through block parties, persons have seen their city block turn from being a suspicious and isolated neighborhood to a downright neighborly place!
What better group of people to do this than the church called East Ridge United Methodist?
We hope to have a real shin-dig—a great time!!!
What can you do to help?
Get involved—big time!!!
There are a lot of creative angles we can take with this project; needless to say it will draw a lot of positive attention.
Are you good at barbecuing ribs?
Do you have a grill you can donate for this celebration?
What about meat, drinks, snacks, desserts?
Are you good at organizing activities for kids?
How about a bicycle parade with prizes for the most decked-out bikes?
We can have games, inflatable rides, and of course, lots of music!!!
But it’s going to take all of us working together, living into that faith we all possess, to make this happen!
There is a sign-up sheet in the hall, and there is also a suggestion box.
Get creative!
Allow the Holy Spirit to work within you.
And you know what?
There will even be a $20.00 prize for the person with the most creative ideas.
This is going to be fun!!!
Jesus has given us all the faith we need to accomplish these things for God’s Kingdom!!!
May the mustard seed of faith, which is a gift from God that we are called to share, truly grow into a mighty tree where a lost and broken world is able to come and perch in our branches!!!
The early Church were doing these kinds of things.
They were generous and committed.
They were praising God by putting their faith into action, and they were “enjoying the favor of all the people.”
And day after day, the Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved!!!
Of course they were, and of course He did!!!
That’s how it works.
The Gospel hasn’t changed.
God’s power hasn’t diminished.
People still need to be saved.
God has entrusted us with a great faith!!!
Anything is possible.
Are we ready to experience this first hand?
