Increase our Faith (to Forgive) - June 5

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Deut. 11:13-19; 2 Cor. 5:11-6:2; Luke 17:1-10

Sports are an interesting commentary on our culture. Despite wearing ugly orange pants on the Sunday following the University of Tennessee’s victory over the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, I actually don’t pay much attention to sports. While that has not always been true, I recently haven’t had the capacity to keep track of the consistently changing landscapes of college athletics, nor the interest or passion. 

However, there has been one sport, and one team in particular that I try to pay attention to and catch games when I can and that is the Memphis Grizzles NBA team. The Grizzles have a superstar in a young 23-year-old named Ja Morant. When he is playing his best, he is easily a top-five player in the NBA and has the ability to change the outcome of the game just by being on the court. Recently he was seen on social media brandishing a firearm which has been met with extraordinary disappointment by the NBA and the city of Memphis, largely because this is the second offense (even though no laws were broken in the action) and an entire community feels let down.

I certainly understand the concern that Morant’s behavior doesn’t reflect the values that the NBA wants to hold up and it has been interesting to watch an entire community turn on the person who was once considered the shining star of the community.  Maybe we put too much pressure on a 23-year-old. 

I am drawn to a connection in our Gospel reading this morning. Jesus is giving instructions on forgiveness even if someone sins against you “seven times a day.” The passage that follows is the apostles asking the Lord to increase their faith. The Lord replies with the beautiful metaphor of a mustard seed: “If you just had the faith of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you.” We often don’t connect the two passages, but when we read them together, the faith comment makes more sense. It takes faith to believe in the power of forgiveness. It’s not natural. It doesn’t feel like it makes a difference, and it is certainly not a condition of our culture. But a little faith can move mountains, or at the very least, uproot a mulberry tree.

Forgiveness is tough. And maybe the disciples' prayer can be our own: Increase our faith, specifically with the capacity of forgiveness to heal this world and restore our relationships with each. At the very least, I pray it makes watching basketball a little more enjoyable this upcoming season.

Faithfully,

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection: How easy is it for you to forgive? What is the role that faith plays in your forgiveness? 

Daily Challenge: Here is a list of some exercises to help improve your capacity for forgiveness.