"Spiritual Fatigue" - September 18, 2011 Sermon

Scripture: Luke: 17:1-10

The Sermon:
How many of you feel like you could use some extra energy in the mornings when you wake up? I know I have felt that way many times. Have you tried any of these energy drinks? Red Bull or five hour energy? They make a lot of claims about how they can boot your energy level: improve performance…improve concentration and reaction speed…stimulates metabolism. After a study by Men’s Fitness magazine, it was determined that the effects are more psychological than physical.

However, there is a real appeal to the thought that drinking one of these drinks can turn you from a tired wimp into a stampeding dynamo. I thought back to my childhood and remember the forerunner of these modern energy drinks…something that would give you instant strength and endurance. Anyone know what I’m thinking about? That’s right…Popeye and his spinach ! I must confess that I actually tried that…eating spinach. It was difficult to swallow…then and now.

The fact remains that we all wish we could just have something to give us instant energy. In today’s lesson, when the disciples cry out to Jesus to, “Increase our faith!” it sounds just like our request for an instant energy boost.

In verses 1-4, Jesus tells the disciples that they have a deep responsibility to not, “cause one of these little ones to stumble” in sin. Not only that, he tells them that when someone wrongs them, they are to forgive them even 7 times a day. After hearing these two admonitions, they immediately cry to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

The persistence and energy it takes to guard oneself and others from doing something wrong and forgiving a repeat offender is daunting, at the very least. I think the disciples were suffering from spiritual fatigue. Spiritually speaking, the demands of discipleship can cause even the strongest among us to sometimes feel tired and worn out. We seem to have no energy left to do the things we know need to be done.

The old name for this condition was “burnout”...but I don’t like that word…it sounds too final. I prefer the term, “compassion fatigue”. It applies to dedicated church workers, people involved in caring for the home-bound, hospice and others. It begins with physical exhaustion…then emotional and mental…then spiritual exhaustion. It comes from always being in “output” mode…caring for and nurturing others without taking time to re-charge your spiritual batteries. There is always something to be done and someone to do it for!

It is during these times of spiritual fatigue that we join with the disciples in wanting an energy filled “shot of faith”. AND, we try to get that quick fix in various ways. Sometimes we read the newest “spiritual” book… we may go to the current seminar by a dynamic speaker…we may attend a spiritual retreat…all attempts at regaining that spiritual high that we once had. We think that all we need is more faith and some more energy and some new ideas and we’ll do a lot better and be back on track as a Disciple. The problem is when that “new book…seminar…retreat high” wears off, we feel more fatigued than ever.

Jesus provides the answer to the request for more Faith when he tells the disciples and us to , “simply embrace the faith you have”…even if it is only a little bit! Now Jesus used the metaphor of the mustard seed to symbolize the kind of faith his followers should embrace. A mustard seed is very tiny…but when planted and steadily nurtured in the right conditions, over time it grows…matures…and finally blossoms! In the same way, true faith is the result of the long, patient discipline of discipleship. It starts small, grows gradually, steadily and intentionally.

So…the truth is, there is NO faith filled Red Bull or quick energy drink. There are no short-cuts to healthy, mature Faith. There is Mustard seed faith, and that is enough, in fact it is more than enough… if you nurture it in good conditions and allow it to grow. Faith is NOT about our ability to do a certain job…it is about God’s ability to do the job through us… and we know from Scripture that “with God, all things are possible.”

Because Faith is about God’s ability more than ours. It also means that God gets the credit. Jesus goes on to say that we should NOT think that our approach to ministry, no matter what we do, is going to provide us with the recognition that we think we deserve. God is looking for servants who do the simple stuff, “what they ought to have done” without seeking the ego rush of a reward.