Pastor’s Corner – October 5, 2025
Increase Our Faith – Luke 17:5-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-14
God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. (Paul)
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. (Jesus)
As I stare at the screen to write my weekly Pastor’s Corner, I am flooded with news that’s causing so much pain and suffering; from Secretary of War (Defense) Pete Hegseth showing his fragile masculinity in front of top military generals and admirals, to break the Geneva Conventions of War, to discriminating against women and LGBT+ individuals in the armed forces, to Israeli Defense Forces’ interception of humanitarian aid ships sailing to Gaza, and, closer to home, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) now under threat of deportation and no longer able to work legally (only in Texas) in court now being challenged, and so much more. I refuse to let this news wear me down when I connect the dots and see how we are so connected to the news and our neighbors. I have friends in the military and immigrants with uncertain legal status. I hear their stories and I want to stand with them and support them.
Paul’s letter to Timothy reminds us that we are given a spirit of courage, power and of love, to make a difference in our world. I believe this with my whole heart. I also believe that’s what Jesus’ first disciples believed too. I can’t blame them, when they asked to increase their faith! To have more faith means to be more courageous, to have more power to make difference and make changes in our world to alleviate human suffering and provide for those who are vulnerable and to protect the powerless. I hear myself with the disciples, “Increase our faith!”
Jesus understood where the disciples were coming from. After all they left their homes and families to follow him with a shared vision of God’s kingdom. They followed him believing in the promise of new life, hope and a better world to come. In response Jesus said, “if you had faith the size of a mustard seed…” that’s all it takes!
This is what I am hearing from Jesus. You have more than enough! The power of transformation comes from God. We do our part living into the life of faith, to bear witness in our world, to never give up hope and to love our neighbor as ourselves and to speak truth to power that all people are created in God’s divine image. Yes, it only takes a mustard seed, a spark of light to set the world aflame with God’s truth and care for the world. Our spiritual practice in weekly worship, discipline in our communal life together are all commentary to the gospel we proclaim. Let us nurture our mustard seed of faith and let it grow in our garden and everywhere. Amen.
Pastor Dae