Lamentations 1:1-6 Luke 17:5-10 2 Timothy 1:1-14
How do you greet your friends at church? Or any of your other friends outside of church?
It’s common to say something like “Hi! How are you?” or “Hey. How are you?” But we all know that’s a superficial question. Occasionally, among close friends, I’ve been known to take a hard look at their facial expressions and their general demeanor, and follow that up with, “No, how are you… really?” And that is the question that brings out a bit more honesty, requires a little more thought, often takes longer to answer.
But one question that John Wesley often asked, was “How is it with your soul?” That too, is a deeper question than, “Hey. How are you?” Not only does this question probe with some of the depth of “How are you really?” but it also asks for some thought about how we are spiritually. How is it with your soul asks about your physical and emotional condition, but it also requires some thought about our faith and our relationship with God.
As we read and think about our scriptures for today, we will find that our discussion is, in some ways, similar to the discussions that we’ve had for the last two weeks. But, like “How is it with your soul?” our discussion will require us think more deeply about our faith before we’re done. We begin this week by reading a prayer of mourning from the book of Lamentations as God’s people grapple with what it means physically, emotionally, and spiritually, to have been conquered by the nation of Babylon, to have lost the city of Jerusalem, and to have witnessed, cruelty, destruction, and death on a scale that they could likely not have imagined previously. (Lamentations 1:1-6)
1:1How deserted lies the city,
once so full of people!
How like a widow is she,
who once was great among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
has now become a slave.
2 Bitterly she weeps at night,
tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers
there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.
3 After affliction and harsh labor,
Judah has gone into exile.
She dwells among the nations;
she finds no resting place.
All who pursue her have overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.
4 The roads to Zion mourn,
for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
All her gateways are desolate,
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she is in bitter anguish.
5 Her foes have become her masters;
her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief
because of her many sins.
Her children have gone into exile,
captive before the foe.
6 All the splendor has departed
from Daughter Zion.
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled
before the pursuer.
The nation of Judah mourns all that was lost but the writer, traditionally thought to be the prophet Jeremiah, also notes that all of Judah’s allies, all her false gods, and all her false hope have abandoned her. He says that the even the roads mourn because no one comes to her appointed festivals, meaning that the practice of the religion of Yahweh has ceased. But the writer admits that God has brought this tragedy upon his people because of the sins that they had committed, and the princes of Judah have fled their pursuers like deer that flee from their hunters.
When we read the words of Jeremiah, we imagine that if we could ask the nation of Judah, “How is it with your soul,” Jeremiah would answer by saying that Judah was cowardly, hungry, sinful, and faithless.
But the disciples of Jesus knew the history of their people. They knew that God had sometimes judged their nation because of their faithlessness, and the current occupation of their nation by Rome raised some of the same questions. Would God allow us to be free if we had more faith? Is the Roman occupation a sign that God is displeased with our faithfulness? How can we have more faith? And in that environment, we can, perhaps, understand a little better why the disciples ask Jesus, in Luke 17:5-10, how they can be more faithful, or, more correctly, the disciples ask Jesus to simply give them more faith.
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
The first thing that I thought of when I read that first verse, “Increase our faith!” is that the disciples should have known that there’s no shortcut to increasing our faith. Much as praying that God would grant us patience, often results in God leading us into places that force us to be patient, I have always believed that praying for more faith results in finding ourselves in places that demand more faith from us. And, while it is possible that the disciples understood that Jesus’ reply is still surprising. When Jesus says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…” he is telling his disciples that it isn’t necessary to have a lot of faith. Even a tiny amount of faith in an all-powerful creator God is so immensely powerful that we should be able to command a tree to uproot itself and grow in the ocean. And Jesus’ parable about the servant and his master tells us that being worthy of God is no more difficult than doing the things that we have been asked to do.
Paul says something similar as he writes to his protégé in 2 Timothy 1:1-14 when he says:
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Paul reminds Timothy that he not only serves God but does so with a clear conscience and remembers Timothy in his prayers. Moreover, Paul remembers Timothy’s faith, but not just because the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother had made an impression on him, but because Paul had witnessed Timothy as he had lived out his faith in front of him. Paul then encourages Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God” which I take to mean that he is encouraging Timothy, not just to sit back and rest in the gift of faith that he had been given, but to actively work to exercise and to increase it.
Paul then returns to his other point that he serves God with a clear conscience as he tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony of Jesus Christ or the fact of Paul’s imprisonment. He reminds Timothy, and us, that God saved us and has called us to this life because of his own purpose and grace and because of that, Paul’s suffering was no cause for shame. Paul believed in Jesus Christ and trusted him to guard his path and his future until the day we meet at the foot of God’s throne. The key, Paul says, is to remember the teaching that he has been given and the life and faith that Paul, Jesus, and everyone who has invested themselves in us have modeled and demonstrated for us in their own lives.
And so, we have several clues that will aid us in answering the question “How is it with your soul?” First, there are consequences for living a life that is sinful and faithless. Second, that there is no shortcut to increasing our faith but also that even a tiny amount of faith in an omnipotent creator God is immensely powerful. Third, if we desire to be worthy of the gifts that God has given to us, being worthy of God is no more difficult than doing the things that we have been asked to do. Fourth, although the gift of faith has been given to us, we must still actively put in the hard work necessary to exercise and to increase it. And finally, we should never be ashamed of the testimony of Jesus Christ and that we should always remember the things that we have been taught by Jesus, Paul, and all those who have modeled and demonstrated a life of faith alongside of us.
Answering the question, “How is it with your soul?” is much harder than “Hey! How are you?” but it is also far more important. It is important for each one of us to occasionally put thought into how we are doing, how we are living, and how we are growing in our faith and in our obedience to Jesus Christ.
So…
How is it with your soul?
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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org. These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com . All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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