Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy return to Narnia in C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian. Once again they are called upon to save the land. As they make their way to find Prince Caspian and his army, they struggle to discern the correct way to go. Then Lucy sees Aslan.
The thing is, Aslan appears on the opposite path they need to go, and no one but Lucy can see the Lion. When the children, and their newfound dwarf companion, put it up to a vote, only Edmund sides with Lucy.
It turns out the path that seemed better was worse. There’s nothing to be done at the end of the day for them to rest and try to figure out the way forward they need in the morning.
As they sleep, Lucy hears a voice calling her. She wakes up to the sound of her name and sees the trees moving about her. As she follows them, she finds herself standing face to face with Aslan once again.
Aslan quickly warns Lucy that they must hurry as they have lost a great deal of time today. Lucy immediately starts complaining that the others wouldn’t believe her.
Yet she discerns Aslan wanting the growl, and she apologies. She knows she shouldn’t blame them, but the fault was theirs.
Aslan looks “straight into her eyes.” Then Lucy starts to realize the truth. She could have gone it alone and followed Aslan. If she had followed the Lion, she wouldn’t have really been alone at all. She knows what she must do now. She must tell her siblings what she saw. If they refuse to believe her still, if they refuse to follow, then she must go with Aslan alone.
It is easy, even for the Lucys out there, not to follow when needed. It is easy to look to excuses. It is easy to say that if others aren’t doing it, why should I? It is even easy to say that if I don’t go then maybe one of our leaders will. Most of all, it is easy not to take responsibility when we need to.
Yet we do need to take responsibility. That is what our readings are about today. Take our Gospel Lesson. It starts with the Disciples asking Jesus to increase their Faith, as if they don’t need to lift a finger. Jesus tells them otherwise. He tells them they shouldn’t need any more faith, for even the tiniest of faiths can grow a giant tree like a great mustard tree from its tiniest of seeds.
We cannot just sit back and rely on others to do the work of Faith for us. When it comes to the work of Faith, we must all pitch in. We must be responsible for our Faith. Even if it doesn’t seem like we have enough to make it, we do. Even if we are just a mustard seed, we can build great things.
Great things are required of us. We are not called to sit back. We are God’s servants, God’s slaves even. We don’t do the work because we expect any reward. We don’t do the work to get something out of it. There’s not even something we will miss out on so that we can just shrug our shoulders and say “oh well” when we fail to do our part. We are simply called to do our part and we are to respond to our task because that is what we are supposed to do in our service to God.
This path isn’t meant to be easy. As 2 Timothy reminds us, there will be suffering along the way. We don’t do the work because of any amount, or even lack, of pain. We do the work because it is serving God. We do the work because it is worthwhile.
It can be easy for us to think that someone else will do the work of ministry in our stead. It is easy to think it should all be laid on the shoulders of our ordained people, or if not them, then on those of our upstanding parish leadership. If we rely on just one or a few, though, nothing will get done. There is not enough time or energy for one to do it. You already have all you need to help complete the work of the church. Jesus told you so. Your leaders, ordained and otherwise, are not the only ones called to greater service. You are too.
If you think this work will be easy, then you are sorely mistaken. But we don’t do the work because it will be hard or easy. We do the work because it is worthwhile. We do the work because it is what we are called to do.
Don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t have a part, a responsibility, in serving the church. You do. Whether lay or ordained, God has given you a task. God has given you a role. Now it’s your job to go out there and do it.