Small Faith, Big God

Luke 17:5–10 NRSV 
The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?
So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

“Have you ever tried to move a tree? Not cut it down—move it. That’s what Jesus says faith can do. Imagine looking at a maple tree in your yard and saying: ‘Excuse me, Mr. Tree, could you just walk over there into Lake Erie for me?’ And the tree actually goes—roots, branches, squirrels and all—marching off like a cartoon. That’s the image Jesus gives.

Now, let’s be honest: that sounds ridiculous. I can barely move when I don’t want to, let alone a tree!”
“The disciples say to Jesus, ‘Increase our faith!’ They want more. Bigger. Stronger. But Jesus replies: ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’

Then He tells a story about servants doing their work—reminding us that faith isn’t about showing off power. It’s about living humbly, doing the work God calls us to do, one small step at a time.”


“Can you even see this? This is a mustard seed. Tiny! Jesus says you don’t need giant, superhero faith. Just this much. Because it’s not about how big your faith is. It’s about how big your God is.”

“Sometimes we think: If only I had more faith… then I wouldn’t worry. Then I wouldn’t doubt it. Then I’d pray longer, or read the Bible every morning at 5 a.m. But let’s be real—most of us are just trying to keep up with laundry, homework, doctor’s appointments, and maybe squeeze in an episode of Netflix before we pass out.

God isn’t waiting for us to be spiritual superheroes. God is saying: ‘Bring me what you’ve got—even if it’s tiny, even if it’s shaky—and I can work with that.’”

And here’s the Lutheran part: faith itself is not our achievement. It’s God’s gift. Sola fide—we are saved by faith alone. But even that faith isn’t something we manufacture by trying harder. Luther said faith is created in us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. In other words, when you hear the gospel—when you hear that Christ died and rose for you—God plants faith in your heart like a seed. And even if that faith feels small, shaky, or uncertain, it’s still real faith because it clings to Christ.

That’s why Jesus points to the mustard seed. It’s not the size of our faith that matters; it’s the object of our faith. A weak faith in a strong Savior is still saving faith. Even when you can only pray, ‘Lord, I believe—help my unbelief,’ Christ holds onto you.

Faith is not just about believing in our heads—it’s about trusting with our lives. Luther loved to talk about vocation—our everyday callings as parents, neighbors, workers, friends. Faith doesn’t always look flashy. Most of the time it looks like showing up, keeping promises, forgiving, and serving where God has placed us.

“Think about a parent whispering a prayer in the car before dropping kids at school. Or someone bringing a meal to a sick neighbor. Or a teenager choosing kindness when it would be easier to make fun. Those don’t look like giant acts of faith. But they are mustard seeds. And God can grow them into something amazing.

“To the kids here: You don’t need to be an adult to have faith. Your prayers matter. To the teenagers: Your questions and doubts are part of faith too. To the parents and grandparents: Your steady example plants seeds others will remember for a lifetime.

Faith is for all of us—no matter our age, no matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’ we think it is.”

“So here’s the good news: Faith is not about being perfect. Faith is about trusting God enough to take the next step.

One small prayer.
One act of love.
One choice to forgive.

That’s mustard seed faith. And in the hands of a big God, it changes the world.”

“So this week, don’t go outside and start yelling at trees. Your neighbors will worry about you! Instead, take one small step of faith—pray for someone, show kindness, forgive, serve. Because that’s where faith grows.

When you do, you’ll find that God’s power is at work—even in seeds so small you can barely see them.”
“Lord, we bring you the little faith we have today. Grow it into something beautiful, something strong, something that blesses the world."

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