Have Any Wasabi? (Time to Add Spice to Church!): A Sermon offered by Rev. Larry Fry

College Avenue United Methodist Church

October 6, 2013

Based on Luke 17:5-6: 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.

I love mustard…any kind: Dijon, Grey Poupon, Spicy Brown.  One of my favorites is Wasabi, a Japanese horseradish.  It goes right to your nose and I do not know why, but I love that stuff.  It is a fine spice that wakes us up.   We need something that wakes us up as the church.  If the church is going to spice up the world, we need to be spicy.

In the Bible the mustard seed is used as a symbol of faith.  You would often see a mustard as a necklace—a clear ball containing a tiny seed.  Jesus urged us to have just that much faith and amazing things would happen. 

As an example of faith, I ran across a story about a young man named James, who lived years ago in Chicago.  He wanted to sell cheese and so he rented a wagon and a pony named “Paddy.”  He delivered cheese to small stores and had developed a decent business but he was not happy.  At one point in his hard work he realized that his passion was totally selfish.  James was frustrated in relationships.  He had a talk with his pony.  He decided that his life approach was wrong because God was not even in the picture.  He decided to put God at the center and that made others’ needs more important.  Others’ concerns became central in his selling.  His business grew and grew and soon his four brothers were part.  And things were booming.

Along with his business he was a lay leader at his church and he stated once that he would much rather be known in the world as a leader in church than in business.  Both were important but his greatest joy was church.  He supported his church and many other non-profits like the arts and drama.  He was always a great supporter of education.  His name?  You have probably had some of these products: Philadelphia Crème Cheese, Grey Poupon mustard…or Maxwell House Coffee.  His true contribution was a process of producing cheese which kept it from spoiling so it could be transported.   The name is James Kraft. 

In my little Kansas hometown…there was only one cheese: Velveeta.  I was so glad to discover so many wonderful cheeses. 

Remember the commercial about the two fancy cars stopping side-by-side and through the open windows, one asking for Grey Poupon?  This silly commercial certainly became part of our thinking. 

We are to spice up the world with faith.   Faith is such a greatly needed commodity.  Every day we get out of bed with faith.  We trust that the food we eat for breakfast is safe and full of nutrition.  We trust that the seeds we plant will come up as a garden. 

Faith is….caught, not just taught.  It is caught be being around wasabi people who have faith and live it in front of us.  The church offers one of the places to get connected in life.  The church is where we may discover our passions and live them out.

Faith is not making up something to believe in.  Faith is not sticking up for something we know to be untrue.  Faith is not permission to believe something just because there is nothing else to believe.  Beliefs are part of faith, yet faith is larger still.  Faith is far more than what we carry in our minds and even hearts.  Faith is not just in the mind, it is in our hearts and souls, from which we truly live.

Faith is the positive and lively trust that something is true.  Faith enables positive behavior that show how good life is.  Faith is a willingness to commit one’s life into God keeping and to God’s purposes in life through courageous risk-taking.

Where do we get faith?  We get it in our families or from friends.  This can happen in church or at home.  Churches offer children and family a larger faith family heritage, with traditions and good things.  There is a wonderful process where faith is offered from one generation to the next.  First people are nurtured then they make that faith their own.   The church is always to value and guard this precious commodity.  But to pass it on: it needs spicing up.  And when you have have it…even then, it needs spicy up. 

On Wednesday I realized that none of us had put letters up on our outdoor sign.  So I started out with all of the letters and I looked behind me and I had 8 children following me to help.  Their “wasabi” enthusiasm made the job 100 times more fun and it all went together well.  Thank you helpers. 

Being around “wasabi” faith people wakes us up just like the fire of wasabi wakes up our taste buds.  They fire up our faith their enthusiasm and encouragement.  We all need coaches in the things that matter most.  This way we all can live out our faith in deeper and strong discipleship. 

To live out our faith we go in mission to spice up the world.  Today, walkers from our church will help fight world hunger.  We are the lead church in the community Crop Walk.  This week three of our members will go to Panama on a mission trip to help build a church.  In 2014 we will head to Sager Brown Depot in Louisiana to help the work of the United Methodist Committee on Relief.  Today Tom Bennett is at the Harveyville UMC because he has helped them rebuild their church blown away by a Kansas tornado.  And today we all may celebrate faith around the world with World Communion Sunday.  Our offering will provide scholarships for ethnic and racial minorities in the United Methodist Church.  All this is “wasabi” faith lived out.

I can guarantee you that no wasabi was used in the preparation of the communion elements before you.  But this I know:  all cultures are breaking bread and pouring the cup today to remember our crucified and risen Lord.  THIS WILL SPICE UP THE WORLD…FOR CHRIST.