Cobbled Faith

My dad loved corn on the cob. He loved everything about it – picking (that is, rooting through a bunch at a vegetable stand); shucking; boiling and of course, sharing and eating. He liked the peaches and cream variety that is so popular but one year he had a hankering for yellow corn. We drove to every stand, from one end of the Annapolis Valley to the other, search for the elusive yellow corn. We made the trip even more interesting by also searching for heirloom varieties of apples. I think it was an Orange Pippin apple we were particularly looking for. Both the apple and the corn were nearly impossible to find.

I couldn’t tell you how many farmers said, “Oh yes, we have yellow corn, right over here,” as they pointed to an empty corner. I’m still not sure if they were joking. Eventually, we got the corn and along the way tried a few older varieties of apples. The day ended at a picnic table, with a Coleman stove, a pot of water, butter and salt – perfect.

In Luke’s Gospel it is asked, will Jesus find faith on earth? My hope is that it will be easier than finding yellow corn. The point of Luke 18:1-8 is that God is nothing like the mean, old judge. In fact, God is exactly the opposite, God will grant justice quickly. Yet, the underlying advice is to continue to pray. This much is given: God remains faithful. The question is: will we be found faithful?

Persistence in prayer means acting in such a way that the yellow corn (no matter how scarce) is found. Faith (the assurance of things hoped for) means trusting that the corn will be found. God, so much more generous than the judge, will allow the yellow corn to be found. The faith God seeks is no more complicated than our trusting and acting in accord of God’s will. Either way, God remains faithful.