Sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost from Bishop Jake Owensby:
Let’s face it, some of the things we ask of Jesus
must lead him to think, “Really!?!
When we ask for a convenient parking space because
we’ve over-scheduled ourselves, or we plead with him to pass a test for which
we’ve scarcely studied, or promise to do better if we just get away with a
repeated stupidity this last time, a little frustration from Jesus seems
completely understandable.
But asking for more faith seems like a really
Jesus-y request. That’s why Jesus’ response to his disciples in today’s Gospel
can leave us a little puzzled. (Luke 17:5-10)
As if that weren’t bad enough, Jesus goes on to tell
a parable whose point initially appears to be something like this: Don’t get all
puffed up about the good you do. You’ve only done what God expects. There’s no
extra credit for that.
Jesus has a radical lesson for his disciples--for
us--in all of this. The life of faith is apparently not what we often think it
is. Let’s take a closer look at the life of faith by exploring three
questions:
First, what is faith?
Second, how does faith shape our
behavior?
Finally, why does faith lead to a life of
service?
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