The three year old ask, “ How much is enough? “ The child has no conception of enough – we may feel the same way. The residents of Florida are no doubt feeling about hurricanes - that this is more than enough. Enough depends on context, when I fill my gas tank it is when it will not take any more gas; or when I pay my master card bill it is when it is paid off.

However, what about a doctor, when has she done enough for the patient? Most doctors struggle with that question because there are plenty of times when it is not clear what needs to be done, or when they have considered all necessary options. What about being a parent – when have we done enough for our children, or what about the needy. There are so many situations in life where the answer to this question is very difficult, if not impossible to achieve.

When can we say I have done enough, now I deserve some reward, some recognition for all my effort? Certainly it is natural for us to want there to be an end point and recognition, a thank you at the least. The internal score keeper, which we all have, causes us to feel bad when we exceed what we feel is should be expected and then we begin to feel resentful, used.

However it is harder to figure that out when it comes to acts of charity and compassion than when we contract for a job at a certain fee. Are children obligated to tell their parents “ thank you for loving me.” I believe most of us would think that is ridiculous, though we want them to grow up to feel appreciation for the efforts of others on their behalf, but feeling loved by your parents is almost like an inalienable right. How about our relationship with God? Does God owe us for our being good, for loving him, caring about his children? Can we thereby claim heaven or certain rewards or exemptions from certain experiences in life so we are not bothered by tragedies etc. There are some religious folks who believe this way, though I suspect most of us, at least initially would say there are no guarantees in life. And yet when life goes terribly bad any of us might cry out, why me God?

The teaching of Jesus, which we heard in the Gospel reading, may make us wonder. This description of faith as so powerful that we could make a tree uproot and move to the sea is a bit over the top for the vast majority of us. How many of you were out early this morning moving trees around? Not me! So we have this description of faith that seems beyond our reach and then we are told that we should see faithful living as just what is expected. We have to keep in mind that these teachings are part of a much larger picture which Jesus is painting about the life of the faithful. The late Walter Russell Bowie calls these teachings “ a piece of the mosaic Jesus creates for us to understand faith and life in relationship to God.” He seems most concerned that his hearers be able to let go of the quid pro quo approach to faith – if I do this God then I expect that you will do -----. He is encouraging a change of heart symbolized most by that familiar commandment – Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. To quote Bowie again, ” submission to the commandment’s spirit can release in us an energy we did not know was possible. The great servants of God are those who do not watch the clock or count the cost….”

From time to time we see people living lives of faithfulness and commitment without expecting or receiving any acknowledgement. I have, in this parish, seen many who have faithfully tended to sick family members, sacrificing their former freedoms to love and care for them. The reward was in fulfilling their covenant, living out their love in the hard times as well as the good.

Someone sent me an article titled “ Brother John “ by an August Turak. Apparently it was a prize- winning essay recognized by the Templeton Foundation. It was a wonderful story, which I gather was true. The part of the story which grabbed me the most was when the author, who had, over the years, spent time at Mepkin Abby in South Carolina on extended retreats. While there during one Christmas time he recounts going to eight services during the various monastic hours of the day and then after midnight mass there was a gathering in the refectory for the monks and visitors to break the periods of silence and have some cookies, cakes and cider and visit with each other.
He tells of being so tired after the day of working and services that he was about to fall asleep on his feet and so decided to head for his cell several hundred yards away. He says, “ halfway to the door I heard the resurgent rain banging on the roof reminding me that I had forgotten to bring an umbrella. Opening the door I was cursing and resigning myself to a miserable hike and a wet monastic guest habit for morning services, when something startled me and left me squinting into the night. As my eyes adjusted, I made out a dim figure standing under an umbrella….. It was Brother John in a thin monastic habit, his slouched 60 year-old body ignoring the cold. I said, “ Brother John, what are you doing? “ “ I’m here to walk the people who forgot their umbrellas back to their rooms,” he replied softly.

He tells of them walking through the rain to his room and then as he said goodnight he noticed brother John, with his flashlight making his way back to the refectory to fetch the next pilgrim who had forgotten his umbrella. Turak tells of being disturbed by the spirit of this man who represented everything he longed to be, but feared to be because he felt he could not be so gracious and hospitable without feeling deprived or resentful. He concludes, “ in time that this had nothing to do with the fact that he was a monk and I was not. On the contrary, Brother John was fascinating precisely because I intuited that to live as he did, to have his quiet peace and effortless love, had nothing to do with being a monk and was available to us all. “

The image of faith uprooting a tree and tossing it into the sea is perhaps the image of the inner landscape of our life, how we feel about ourselves and others and the world, being uprooted and bathed in the power of God’s love and grace so we find peace in just doing what is right and what is needed, making Holy the things and relationships of our every day life – just like Brother John. May there be joy for us in holding the umbrella for one who has forgotten theirs – whatever that may mean.

Amen.