Transformative Power of Small Faith in Community

Devotional

Day 1: The Potential of Small Faith

Faith, even as small as a mustard seed, holds immense potential to bring about significant change in our lives and the world around us. It is not the magnitude of our faith that matters, but our willingness to believe and act upon it. This small faith can grow into something much larger, impacting our lives and the world around us. The passage from Luke 17:5-10 illustrates that even the smallest amount of faith can lead to miraculous outcomes. When we embrace this truth, we open ourselves to the possibility of transformation and growth beyond our expectations. [02:16]

Matthew 17:20 (ESV): "He said to them, 'Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.'"

Reflection: What is one small step of faith you can take today that could lead to a significant change in your life or the life of someone else?

Day 2: Embracing Dormancy as Preparation

Periods of stillness or dormancy in our lives are not signs of failure but times of preparation. Just as seeds wait for the right conditions to germinate, our dreams and hopes may be waiting for the right moment to thrive. These times of dormancy are essential for growth, allowing us to gather strength and resources for future flourishing. It is during these moments that we must trust in the process and have faith that our dreams will come to fruition when the time is right. [06:13]

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (ESV): "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted."

Reflection: Reflect on a period of dormancy in your life. How can you use this time to prepare for future growth and transformation?

Day 3: The Power of Community in Faith

Being part of a nurturing community like Glide Memorial Church can provide the right conditions for our faith to grow. In such environments, love, peace, and hope are cultivated, allowing us to support one another in our journeys. A community of faith offers encouragement, accountability, and a sense of belonging, helping us to navigate the challenges of life with grace and resilience. By surrounding ourselves with others who share our values and beliefs, we create a fertile ground for our faith to flourish. [07:03]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: How can you contribute to creating a nurturing environment in your community that supports the growth of faith, love, and hope?

Day 4: Faith as a Call to Action

Faith is not just a personal journey but a call to action. We are called to restore hope, comfort the troubled, and be radically inclusive. Our faith should lead us to serve others and work towards justice and healing. By putting our faith into action, we become agents of change, bringing light and love to those around us. This active faith not only transforms our own lives but also has the power to impact the world in profound ways. [09:01]

James 2:17-18 (ESV): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Reflection: Identify one way you can put your faith into action today to serve and uplift someone in your community.

Day 5: Gratitude for Growth and Transformation

Embracing gratitude for even the smallest faith can lead to abundant hope and transformation. By acknowledging the right conditions nurturing our growth, we can plant seeds of liberation and justice in our actions. Gratitude allows us to see the beauty in the process of growth and transformation, recognizing the divine hand at work in our lives. As we cultivate a spirit of thankfulness, we open ourselves to the possibility of greater blessings and opportunities for growth. [11:33]

Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV): "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

Reflection: What are you grateful for in your journey of faith, and how can this gratitude inspire you to plant seeds of justice and liberation in your daily actions?

Sermon Summary

Faith is a powerful force that can transform lives, even when it seems as small as a mustard seed. In moments when our faith feels shaken, it is crucial to remember that it is never truly broken. Faith is not about having a clear path forward but about trusting in something greater than ourselves. The passage from Luke 17:5-10 reminds us that even the smallest amount of faith can lead to miraculous outcomes. The people in the church asked the Lord to increase their faith, and the Lord responded by emphasizing the power of faith, even as small as a mustard seed, to move mountains and uproot trees.

The mustard seed, though tiny, has the potential to grow into something much larger, symbolizing how our faith, hope, and dreams can expand beyond our expectations. This growth is not magical but requires the right conditions—oxygen, water, and care. Similarly, our lives may experience periods of dormancy, where growth seems stalled, but these are times of preparation for future flourishing. Glide Memorial Church serves as a nurturing environment where dreams are watered, and the right conditions for love, peace, and hope are cultivated.

Faith is not just about personal transformation but also about community action. It calls us to restore hope to the hopeless, comfort the troubled, and be radically inclusive and unconditionally loving. Our faith, no matter how small, can grow into a force for justice and healing. We are reminded that we are the help, called to serve and uplift others, and that our faith can increase exponentially when we act on it. By embracing even the smallest faith, we can witness its power to transform the world around us.

Key Takeaways

1. The Power of Small Faith: Even faith as small as a mustard seed can lead to significant change. It is not the size of our faith that matters but our willingness to believe and act on it. This small faith can grow into something much larger, impacting our lives and the world around us. [02:16]
2. Dormancy as Preparation: Periods of stillness or dormancy in our lives are not signs of failure but times of preparation. Just as seeds wait for the right conditions to germinate, our dreams and hopes may be waiting for the right moment to thrive. [06:13]
3. Community and Faith: Being part of a nurturing community like Glide Memorial Church can provide the right conditions for our faith to grow. In such environments, love, peace, and hope are cultivated, allowing us to support one another in our journeys. [07:03]
4. Faith in Action: Faith is not just a personal journey but a call to action. We are called to restore hope, comfort the troubled, and be radically inclusive. Our faith should lead us to serve others and work towards justice and healing. [09:01]
5. Gratitude for Growth: Embracing gratitude for even the smallest faith can lead to abundant hope and transformation. By acknowledging the right conditions nurturing our growth, we can plant seeds of liberation and justice in our actions. [11:33]
** [11:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:59] - Reading from Luke 17:5-10
[02:16] - The Power of Mustard Seed Faith
[06:13] - Dormancy and Growth
[07:03] - Creating the Right Conditions
[07:53] - Faith in Community
[09:01] - Faith in Action
[11:33] - Gratitude and Affirmation

Sermon Clips

"Now you would think that the plural of faith is faiths, like increase our faiths. But no, the plural of faith is still singular as if to say, if we all believe in liberation, if we all believe that an end to homelessness is in sight, if we all believe that everyone is entitled to liberty in the pursuit of self-designed happiness, our collective faith, our one faith in this vision that we all have put in on our hearts, minds and souls will happen." [00:01:31]

"However small your faith is it can grow however small your hope is it can grow however short your recovery is it can grow however short your paycheck is it can grow however little time you think you got left it can grow however little patience you got left it can grow you start small you only need mustard seed faith because increase is not about amassing more but saying allow my faith and my belief and justice to break through and begin a new life cycle." [00:04:21]

"The right temperature to germinate now of course I went into the googles the googles there's this thing that happened with seeds called dormancy and it's a state of suspended animation in which seeds seemingly still delay their germination until the conditions are right for survival and growth your stillness and your stuckness and your dark place is not necessarily your stuck place maybe your love life is just dormant right now and delaying until the right conditions are there for it to thrive." [00:05:25]

"Maybe you're here at Glide Memorial Church because the right temperature for love and peace and hope and possibility and second chances and third chances and fourth chances, the right temperature for survival is in beloved community. And maybe you are actually living the right conditions you have been waiting for all along. Maybe your dormant stage is over today." [00:06:37]

"If we have done nothing here at Glide Memorial Church. We hope that you have been taught to move mountains. That we have taught you that love is the answer. We have taught you that while on others thou art calling. You will not be passed by. And what if we reminded every homeless person outside." [00:07:32]

"Do you thank the help for doing what was commanded so you also when you have done what you were ordered to do then just go restore hope to the hopeless trouble the comforted comfort the troubled supply the peace that surpasses all understanding be open and affirming be radically inclusive be extravagantly welcome be unconditionally loving so you also when you have done all that you were ordered to do can your faith withstand you saying we are the help ourselves we have done only what we ought to have done the people of the church said increase our faith." [00:09:44]

"2,700 times from where we started increase our faith so that we can do what we are called to do no matter how small we actually think we are we are in the face of seemingly insurmountable suffering we grow hope here and we grow healing here and we grow justice here from something so small that you don't even believe you have the patience to see it through but you can and you will see it through trust and believe that your faith has indeed increased." [00:10:25]

"I am grateful for small faith or you can say what's on the board I am grateful for the smallest faith growing into abundant hope I am grateful for the right conditions nurturing my growth I am grateful for the opportunity to plant liberation with my actions I am grateful for the dreams awakening to love and justice." [00:11:06]

"And sometimes it feels to believe in faith is to not have a road forward to how you're going to get through something. But you do. You just keep moving. And I trust my faith more than I trust myself sometimes. You got to believe in something." [00:00:24]

"The Lord replied, if you have faith, the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea and the tree would obey you if you had faith now this ain't even the sermon but I'm gonna stop here for a minute because I love mustard greens on thanksgiving I don't know about you turn up and collard people." [00:02:16]

"Luke goes on to say, who among you would say to the help who has just come in from plowing or tending the sheep in your field, come here at once and take your place at my table. Don't you usually say to them, now that you have finished plowing or tending sheep in my field, now go prepare a supper for me. Put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink. And later then you can eat and drink." [00:09:23]

"Faith that the lights, that lights the lighter, the faith that lights the lighter to light the crack pipe will work is the same faith that they need to move the mulberry tree." [00:09:01]

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