Homily for Proper 22 C - October 3, 2010

My sisters and brothers, it seems strange but the old saying of the physical fitness crowd really does apply to both our faith lives and our bodies: “use it or lose it!”

Christian tradition has taken our reading from Habakkuk as the prophet's complaint against the internal evils of Judah. The language used here is the same employed by Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah to condemn the social abuses of their day. In Habakkuk the Lord answers this complaint by suggesting the Chaldean empire will be His instrument for punishing his people for these pervasive social sins. The individuals who have remained loyal to the Lord are given the encouragement: wait and watch of the LORD. Even if God seems to delay, wait, for God will surely arrive at the appointed time. These verses have been so powerful through the ages that they are used in the Antiphons of evening prayer for the last week of Advent.

The author of 2nd Timothy encourages Church leaders to accept whatever hardship may come their way because of the faith. By holding fast to sound doctrine and to Jesus himself, they will experience true salvation. And, they will lead others to salvation through good example and sound teaching. In particular, the author is concerned about an apparent loss of “a spirit of power, love, and ethical behavior.” The author sees it as going dormant through neglect - not that God has not withdrawn it. Therefor the leaders are to rekindle the gift!

In our short snippet of Luke’s Gospel, exaggeration is used to dramatize Jesus response to the request for greater faith. Rather than ask for greater faith the Apostles should focus on being valuable servants of God’s Kingdom. That is to say: cooperate with God’s grace (guidance) and you will see your relationship with God grow. Part of the point Jesus is making here is that the quality of faith matters more than quantity. The other part of the message is that faith must be lived not just felt.

This nice, old Jewish man really wanted too win the lottery. So, one week, he goes to the synagogue and he says “Lord of heaven and earth, imagine how much good I could do with the money I would win if I won the lottery! Imagine how much charity I could give! Help me win the lottery and I will spend the money wisely!"

That weekend when the winning numbers are drawn, he doesn’t win.

The next week, he goes to the synagogue again and says, "Oh, Lord of heaven and earth, you must not have heard me last Week! Imagine how many lives I could make easier with the money from the lottery! Help me win the lottery!" Again, he doesn't win. The third week, he goes to the synagogue again and prays in a similar vein.

Suddenly, he hears a voice from the heavens: "Help me, my son."

He says, "Lord of heaven and earth, what can I do to help you?"

"Buy a ticket!"

Faith is also not about trusting God as you sit and wait for something to happen. Faith is about doing what you believe - living your faith/trust in God in the choices and actions of everyday life. It is not simply a gift that God bestows on us, and we do not get stronger faith by asking for it. As Jesus makes clear in his parable, its about exercising the faith God has already given you. Like many other faculties of our human existence: mussels, mental acuity, etc., if you do not use it you will lose it. Exercising our faith is about doing the work of God’s Kingdom. Getting involved and being a valuable servant of God. We can’t expect to grow in faith (or any part of our relationship with God) if we don’t cooperate with God’s grace. Let us all roll up our sleeves and get to work!