{"id":4147,"date":"2025-10-05T13:07:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T20:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/?p=4147"},"modified":"2025-10-28T12:26:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T19:26:23","slug":"increase-our-faith-text-luke-171-10-17th-sunday-after-pentecost-hope-lutheran-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/increase-our-faith-text-luke-171-10-17th-sunday-after-pentecost-hope-lutheran-church\/","title":{"rendered":"“Increase our faith\u201d \/ Text: Luke 17:1-10\/17th Sunday after Pentecost\/ Hope Lutheran Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

Text: Luke 17:1-10
\nTheme: \u201cIncrease our faith!\u201d
\n___________________________<\/span><\/h3>\n

Intr \u2013<\/strong> What is the rarest creature on the planet? Perhaps a turtle, a bird, an insect? Biologists and other professionals work every day to identify species at risk and to preserve them.<\/p>\n

But I think the rarest creature on the planet is one that biologists hardly research: a human being who sincerely acknowledges he or she is wrong and asks forgiveness. Not for small things, but for real hurt. And I\u2019m talking about real repentance\u2014without excuses, without explanation, without resorting to the generic \u201cI make mistakes just like anybody else.\u201d To simply say: \u201cI\u2019m wrong. Please forgive me.\u201d<\/em> Period. No complements, no justifications. How rare that is!<\/p>\n

The second rarest person is the one who forgives unconditionally. Because of sin, we have a hard time being that generous. We want fairness, vengeance, getting even.<\/p>\n

I know I\u2019m pushing the envelope here and exaggerating it. I know that as Christians you ask and give forgiveness\u2014probably more often than you\u2019d wish. What I want to highlight is how hard it can still be to practice these actions. Just because you go to work every day doesn\u2019t mean the job gets easier every day, right? It\u2019s the same with forgiveness. The need is constant, the practice is hard, and that\u2019s exactly why we pray with the disciples: \u201cLord, increase our faith.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Faith against Temptation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus tells His disciples: \u201cIf your brother sins against you seven times in a day, and turns to you seven times saying, \u2018I repent,\u2019 you must forgive him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Seven times in one day? That\u2019s too much for the Old Adam. We prefer the saying: \u201cFool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.\u201d<\/em> But seven times? That takes faith. Think about a challenging situation: perhaps a family member who consistently makes hurtful comments, or a coworker who repeatedly fails to pull their weight, causing you extra stress. To forgive not once, but seven times in a day for such hurts feels humanly impossible.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why faith plays a central role here. Habakkuk says: \u201cThe righteous shall live by faith. <\/em>\u201cPaul writes to Timothy: \u201cFaith without hypocrisy.\u201d <\/em>And Jesus says: \u201cIf you had faith..\u201d <\/em>But this is not about us measuring how much faith we have. Faith doesn\u2019t measure itself. Faith clings to Christ. He is the one who strengthens and increases our faith for our daily struggle of forgiving and being forgiven.<\/p>\n

Before I continue, it\u2019s important to say: forgiveness does not mean giving someone a free pass in situations of abuse, trauma, or repeated sin without boundaries, or that people are free from human consequences of their actions. Jesus calls us to forgive, but He never calls us to enable evil. Scripture also teaches us to guard the faith, protect the community, and sometimes step away from unrepentant or destructive people (Romans 16:17). Forgiveness releases the grudge in our hearts, but it does not erase the need for wisdom, justice, or even distance when necessary.<\/p>\n

But the central truth of the Gospel remains: forgiveness is a bottomless well. There is no end to the need for it, and no limit to the grace God gives us to extend it. Because it flows from Christ Himself, the source of living water for our hearts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Faith to Forgive<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgiveness can be rare and can be hard. And it comes with some misconceptions:<\/p>\n