Habakkuk 1: 1–4, 2: 1-4 / Psalm 37: 1-9 / II Timothy 1: 1–14 / Luke 17: 5–10
This
is the written version of the homily that was given at Flohr’s Evangelical
Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, October 5,
2025, by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.
“THE MYSTERY – AND THE POWER – OF FAITH”
(Homily
texts: Habakkuk 1: 1–4, 2: 1–4 & Luke 17: 5-10)
Everyday life is full of mystery and
mysteries.
Consider, for example, a rose. A
beautiful rose is a marvelous creation. It often has a delightful and wonderful
smell. But how can a rose take the nutrients from the ground or the soil in
which it is planted create such a thing from the raw materials it has
available? Ultimately, the way it is able to do that is a mystery.
Or, consider that a flashlight can
shine brightly. How can a battery, made up of whatever components that it is
made from, produce electricity? Or, how can a bulb create a beam of light? To
some extent, we are able to say it’s because of thus-and-so. But beyond that,
how the flashlight works, given the raw materials it is constructed from, is a
mystery.
Yet another example would be the power
that a hammer has to drive a nail. Try doing that without one, and it doesn’t
work very well. Or, for that matter, consider the power that a lever can
generate to do things. To some extent, we could say that the laws of physics
can provide an answer. But beyond that, how this happens is, to some extent, a
mystery.
Whether we think about it or not,
mystery surrounds us on every side. But, though we don’t fully understand how
these mysterious things work, we do know they work. Perhaps that’s the more
important part of dealing with mysteries. That lesson also applies to the
matter of having faith in God.
If these examples have served to shed
some light on the reality of mystery in our day-in-and-day-out lives, then I
think we might be ready to explore the mystery of faith, faith in God’s ability
to change things, and to do marvelous things.
For whatever reason, having faith in
God’s power, God’s love and God’s ultimate and final victory, is an essential
part of the workings of God (akin to what we said above). Even, we can
confidently say, when things seem to be going from bad to worse, as the Old
Testament prophet Habukkuk laments in our first reading this morning, having
faith in God’s ability to fix things that need fixing is essential.
The Lord Jesus, in this morning’s
Gospel text, tells us that, if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, then
great things can happen, great things as great as the uplifting of a mulberry
tree.
Is the Lord speaking in exaggerated
speech, known as “hyperbole”?
Perhaps.
But consider how many times we read, in
the accounts of Jesus’ encounters with all sorts of people, the role that faith
played in whatever changes took place in those very blessed people who had a
face-to-face encounter with the Lord. How often do we hear Jesus say, “Go your
way, your faith has made you well”?
And sometimes, the Lord tests people
deliberately to see the depth and the outworkings of their faith. Consider the
account of the ten lepers (a text we will hear next Sunday), as the lepers come
and ask for healing…Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priest,
as a testimony of their healing. But, notice that none of the ten is healed as
they begin their journey to the priest. They are healed only once the journey
has begun. There is the test of faith for those ten men. We could cite other
examples, as well.
How about you and me?
Do we have faith? Or, do we think that
the way things currently are is the way things will be going forward?
Do we have faith to see that God’s
power is often put into play when God’s people have faith, and show their
faith? For whatever mysterious reason(s), our part in the God-and-humankind
equation is to have faith, and to act on that faith. God’s part is often
activated when God’s people have faith, and show it.
Do we have confidence to see that God’s
way, God’s will and God’s plan is better than anything we can imagine or ask
for? St. Paul affirms this in chapter eight of his wonderful letter to the
Romans, saying, “All things work together for good for those who are called
according to God’s purpose”.
We pray then, that the Lord will
increase our faith, that the Lord will overcome our doubts and our reservations
about the efficacy and the necessity of having faith.
AMEN.
