Year A Christmas 1 WED 2023 Have A Little Faith

 Year A Christmas 1 Wednesday, 4 January 2023

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Have a Little Faith”

Collect

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. 

New Testament Hebrews 11:23-31

23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.* 24By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26He considered abuse suffered for the Christ* to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though* he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.*

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient,* because she had received the spies in peace.

Gospel John 14:6-14

6Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know* my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ 9Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me* for anything, I will do it.

Good morning! This last Sunday we did something we rarely do on a Sunday morning. We took the time for individuals to come forward to have prayers with Dawn+ or me. It could be for a situation, a time of reconciliation, a request for healing, or perhaps a blessing. These times are always so meaningful and humbling. People came with some of their burdens and gave them up to God.

I trust that people prayed for and with them. I am pretty focused, so know very little about what else is going on. As I said in my article in this morning’s email, we heard the history of our faith in the Lessons and Carols, and then we are reminded that that story continues on with and in us. Even more humbling!

In our Hebrews reading it comes back to faith, faith in the invisible. “[Moses] persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.” The assurance of things hoped for, the essence of things unseen.

And then we come to Jesus’ words on prayer. He says he is the way, the truth, and the life. And adds when it comes to our prayers…

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

This phrase is a call to faith, but for many, it is a stumbling block. They asked for something “in Jesus’ name” and it did not come to pass.

I know I have. And then it comes back to faith, doesn’t it. But not as a blame because you do not have enough. I am so heartbroken when I hear that.

Prayers are not vending machines, say the right phrase, like a magic incantation or witch’s spell, and something appears. Prayers are conversations, expressing our wants, desires, hopes, and dreams to the Almighty. And prayers are God’s responses, too.

If you are doing all the talking in your prayers, then that might be why they are ineffective. If I do not let my conversation partner get a word in edgewise, then why should I wonder if the conversation ceases?

Jesus calls us to ask in his name, and his name means “The Lord is Salvation.” If we pray in this statement of faith, then what we really want, what is best for us, what is best for all God’s created cosmos, can come to pass. It is not a gumball machine. It is about aligning our will with God’s will. It is about letting God in on our motivation and perspective. It is about standing in faith and hope when all around us may seem faithless and hopeless.

Praying in Jesus’ name is like Moses “persever[ing] as though he saw him who is invisible.” Praying in Jesus’ name is praying like Jesus in the Garden, not getting what he asked for, that the cup of suffering might pass over him, but getting what he truly wanted, the salvation of creation, what he was born to fulfill.

We know so little now. It can be hard to envision the light when we are standing in the darkness, but it is about faith. That is what faith is, what prayer is, seeing the light though we stand in the dark, and believing that it is and will come again. Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. Help us to have faith to truly pray “In Jesus’ Name.” Amen