Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

Readings: 2 Chronicles 28:8-15 | Galatians 3:15-22 | Luke 10:23-37

Text: Luke 10:23-37

In the collect for today, we pray, “Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us love what You have commanded; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” (Collect for Trinity 13)

This prayer is based on the three readings we heard from 2 Chronicles 28:8–15, Galatians 3:15–22, and Luke 10:23–37.

• This prayer sums up what is illustrated in these readings.
• It alludes to the end of 1 Corinthians 13: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Cor. 13:13 KJV)

Give us an increase of faith

• The disciples ask for an increase of faith in Luke 17:5-6:

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ⁶ And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

• Faith is a mighty thing. However,
  • It’s not something we conjure up within ourselves. Here, we are often misled by manmade ideas of sorcery that it’s some inner ability which by rightly commanding it, we can do impressive feats.
  • It’s also not a warm disposition toward God that we develop in ourselves, the way a husband and wife love each other more after years than they did at the start.
• Faith is something that is created in us by God and which He causes to grow through testing. Solomon in his God-given wisdom says in the Proverb, “Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel” (Prov. 25:4) Straight to the point, James 1 says, “² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
• So, when we ask for God to increase our faith, we are asking that He would, by testing, perfect us as the people He intends for us to be.

An increase of hope:

• Where God increases faith, we will also have a greater assurance that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.
• Much of what passes for advice in the Christian faith is no more than rebranded psychological techniques. They assume that a person’s problems stem from wrong thinking and wrong decisions. But no matter how much mental renovation we go through, this will never awaken greater hope. Even if it does result in a greater optimism, it’s still only good for worldly things.
• Can psycho-babble say like Job, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.” (Job 13:15) But a God-given faith results in God-worked hope. No matter how bleak the situation may look, the Word of the Lord is what will prevail and endures forever. In this hope, we pray with the Psalmist, “5I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:5–6)

An increase of charity:

• Unfortunately, this word, charity, has come to mean little more than “giving to the needy.” This sounds suspiciously like a pledge drive on PBS or the guilt trip you get when you read a panhandler’s sign. On the other hand, modern translations like the ESV oversimplify this by translating it as “love.” And “love” today has its own set of baggage that is informed by modern redefinition. To us today, the word love has come to mean little more than strong affection.
• It’s helpful to return to the King James translation of 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” The greatest of these is more than feelings, and more than a perfunctory act of generosity. Charity is what is seen in the Old Testament and Gospel readings. It is God’s kind of love.
• It goes beyond a threatening command of the Law, and deeper than mere actions. Although it can be seen in the actions, it comes from an individual who has been given faith and hope, to act in charity.

That we may obtain what you have promised and love what you have commanded:

• Consider the progression of the Gospel reading (Luke 10:23-37): The lawyer comes to Jesus with a question of obedience. What is the right way to talk and the right way to live? When the Lord brings out the full impact of the Law—”Do this and you will live”—he squirms and asks, “And who is my neighbor?”
• There is not a rule or way of living that can accomplish what God intends for us. It is a dead end because sin has damaged us too much, and we cannot claw our way out of the grave which threatens to swallow us up. “For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.”
• ^“22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” God must humble us to repent of our fallen attempts to make ourselves better people, and we must see ourselves as that man lying half-dead in the ditch. Christ comes to us, and binds up our wounds by means of His own. He anoints us with the Holy Spirit, and carries us into His Church where we recover from our sin-inflicted injuries. Here, in this Church, He puts us through—not physical, but—spiritual therapy. This is where He increases our faith, our hope, and our charity. From this spiritual therapy, we will never be discharged, until this pilgrimage is complete. But thanks be to God, this faith and hope will never disappoint.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.