Greetings from fall-like Medford on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, a chilly day where we welcomed 10 or 11 pups to worship with us on the Feast of St. Francis. And welcoming 2 unrelated visitors from Fort Klamath to service.
Our invitation to worship is a prayer God’s grace and readiness to listen and provide for our benefit to strengthen our faith for ministry. Our first lesson from Lamentations recounts the emotions of Israel’s people after Babylon has overthrown the king and taken them to exile. The Psalmist’s refrain is one of the imprecatory psalms which depicts the depths of human lament and fallibility. The New Testament reading from Paul’s second letter to Timothy offers encouragement to Timothy to not be embarrassed about his faith. Our Gospel from Luke recounts the Disciples’ request for more faith and Jesus’ reply that if they had a little faith they have enough.
Our scripture tells a story of fearful and emotional humanity. We heard the hard parts of scripture, from a psalm that seems to revel at the destruction of our enemies to the belief that God’s gifts will not be enough to do God’s work. What we hear is the breadth of human existence and the place from which our faith grows. We celebrate together to support each other’s gifts and what many perceive as faith which lacks strength and to recognize that, in community, our faith will grow and evolve and be exactly what is needed. And that the practice of our faith increases our faith.
Who do we need to partner with to help all of us grow stronger in our faith and overcome the fears of life? I invite your comments,
Les+
Readings: Lamentations 1:1-6; Psalm 137; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10
Sermon link: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/pentecost-17-sermon
