Reflection During a significant period of drought, a community chose to gather and pray for rain. Among the participants, there was only one, a young person, who brought an umbrella. This is faith! The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The request is curious. This is a group that has left family, work, and home to follow Jesus. They have borne witness to his miracles, and his teachings. They have experienced the grace of quiet moments, fellowship, and prayer alongside the One they call Master and Teacher. They have had an insight into Jesus that is unique and powerful and still they ask for more. ‘Increase our faith!’ The disciples as for more faith. Why? What is at the heart of this request? What do they think would change if they had more faith? ‘Increase our faith!’ What does faith mean to the apostles at this point? Are they looking for the ideal embodied by the temple elites – Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests, and Scribes who are seen as living righteously? Do the apostles believe that enough faith will allow them to command the same respect and authority as these individuals do? To what end? ‘Increase our faith!’ Do they doubt their own abilities within the context of their journey with Jesus? Are they concerned that, considering what they have learned and experienced, they are somehow inadequate as followers? Is there an extent to which they fear who they are is not enough? What would it look like to have enough faith in their view at that moment? ‘Increase our faith!’ To what extent might we, seek the equivalent respect and authority commanded by today’s church elites? Are we jealous of churches whose parking lots are filled each Sunday and who don’t seem worried about sustainability? Do we believe that butts in pews and dollars on plates are somehow significant measures of faith which we must continually aim to achieve? ‘Increase our faith!’ Do we have moments of doubt and uncertainty, when we worry our faith isn’t enough for the work ahead? What would it look like to ‘increase our faith’? Do we believe those who we think have great faith have an advantage when life is difficult? Are those who are seen as having great faith people to be emulated? What difference do we think increased faith would make for our own journeys? What difference do we think increased faith would make for our shared journey? ‘Increase our faith!’ Jesus hears the request. His response is simple – faith isn’t about quantity. Faith is about quality! The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you. If you had faith the size of a mustard seed…stories from creation can be profound. The resilience of plants, animals, and insects offers vital reminders that small things matter. Seeds blown by the wind or dropped by birds and insects into cracks in concrete frustrate many when they transform into plants. The persistence of skunks, squirrels, possums, and raccoons in urban areas highlights their ability to adjust to changes, survive, and thrive. The Colorado river carved the Grand Canyon. A persistent tree can split a boulder. If you had faith the size of a mustard seed…It isn’t about quantity. Faith is about quality. That quality is demonstrated through our actions, the ways in which we remain resilient, persistent, and adaptable to change. We don’t need more faith to engage in the journey, we need to trust the faith that we have and embody that faith in our relationships with each other and creation. We don’t need more faith to care for those who come to the clothing cupboard. We don’t need more faith to offer support to our friends at Community Living and those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We don’t need more faith to engage in visioning as we seek new ways to invite and include the wider community. We don’t need more faith to bless animals and creation. We don’t need more faith to commit to better care for the world and all that is in it. We don’t need more faith to bring an umbrella when we pray for rain. We don’t need more faith. We only need to trust our experiences, trust God’s gifts at work in us, and trust the faith we have no matter how small it may seem. AND we need to embody that faith through actions because faith transforms our relationships with God, each other, and Creation. Faith calls us to love. Faith calls us to respond: “…we have done only what we ought to have done!” We don’t need more faith. Whatever faith we have is enough. May we continually have faith in the faith we have, allowing it to seep into our very lives in all we say and do. This we pray as we sing together: 435 Take My Life, and Let it Be
