Sermon for December 23

The reading

Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus

The message

Well, Merry Christmas, a little early I guess,  After our very long Advent, we are here, After experiencing God’s promises in their original contexts, after witnessing God actions in the world told to us by inspired voices from 1000s of years ago, we are here. We started with creation, a flood and a new creation.  We heard the story of a nation, of people called, set apart, led, lost, found, pulled up, pushed down, healed and hurt. During the worst of times, we heard news from the prophets that God’s promises were not only still good, they would get bigger, they would be expanded to include all people and nations. 

Tomorrow night, we will welcome a lot of visitors, who have not taken this journey with us, people who attend other churches and follow different readings, people who do not come to church too much, people who just do not realize how long the world waited for Jesus or how difficult many of those years were. It is our responsibility to tell the story.   

We come to the end of our very long Advent with the birth of Jesus.  When born, even before, he is named with power and glory, expected for centuries, set apart as good news, as promises fulfilled, named God with us and God saves. On a recent hospital visit, I heard a pastor praying with a church member in one of the rooms (not because I was necessarily listening but it was just really loud).  He was yelling In the name of Jesus, be healed, in the name of Jesus be comforted, in the name of Jesus be made well, in the name of Jesus be forgiven, in the name of Jesus be comforted.  There was a lot expected of that name and this pastor took Jesus command recorded in John’s gospel “ask anything in my name” very seriously.

Today, we hear just how serious and powerful the names of Jesus are. The names and titles of Jesus help us understand the story.  The Christmas story from Matthew tells us 2 names for our savior, Jesus and Emmanuel.  Names matter. I think of the people I have met from Africa, One of the first things I will ask (or they will tell me) is their name and what it means.  In some cases, it identifies their family, home, village, tribe or religion,  it could be descriptive of the conditions around their birth or an expression of joy or hope for the future,  The same was true of the Jewish people that Jesus was born a part of. Names had meaning.  Jesus means God saves and Emmanuel means God is with us,

Of course, in addition to the names, there are a lot of titles given to Jesus, some from Old Testament prophesies, words that brought God’s promises to people in suffering.  Other names come from the New Testament, after people saw and experienced the power of God made flesh and dwelling amongst us.   A few years ago, Lightcast Church (the mainly Filipino congregation that worships here on Sunday Afternoon) held a Christmas program in the gym about a spelling bee. (if it remember It was called the Bethlehem Spelling Bee)   Each of the words that the contestants were asked to spell were related to Jesus birth, prophesy or one of the names that Jesus is given.  For those of you who are not familiar with Spelling Bees (which I assume is most of you), after the contestant hears the word, they are allowed to ask a few questions, please tell me the origins of the word, what is the definition or Can I hear the word in a sentence. For each name or title of Jesus, the contestants would ask for more information.     

This morning, I want to do my own version of the Bethlehem Spelling Bee (don’t worry no spelling is actually required), I want to look at a few of the names and titles for Jesus (there are 198 names or titles for Jesus in the Bible).  First, for the ones from Today’s reading:  Emmanuel means God with us, It comes from the prophet Isaiah chapter 7 vs 14. It’s origins comes from the time when the temple built by Solomon under God’s design and instructions was destroyed by the Babylonians.  The community Matthew is shared with saw the second temple destroyed by the Romans (around 70 ad), their people killed and chased off.  People in great darkness have seen a great light.  The importance of God with us becomes clear once we know it spoken to people who really, really doubted it.          

The name Jesus means God saves, its origins is from the Greek.  It is the Greek version of Joshua (Moses successor as the leader of Israel), a Hebrew name that means God saves.  God is here to save us from sin and death (not sadness and suffering)

On Friday and Saturday, I had my first funeral service around Christmas time (I’ve had 8 around Easter).  I shared today’s reading and we sang a few carols during the memorial service.  In this story, in the names of Jesus, we are reminded of God’s great promises, God saves and God is with us

Then we have all the titles for Jesus, The most common: Christ: (that’s actually not Jesus last name). It is the English version of the Greek word kristos, then latin word christus, which mean anointed one.  This title was connected with the Messiah or expected savior of Israel.  Before his death and resurrection Jesus was usually referred to as "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus, son of Joseph".  After his resurrection, the title Christ becomes synonymous with Jesus.

We have the titles from Isaiah 9:  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Each one points to Jesus uniqueness. The word wonderful was much more powerful back then, today we might say “I had a wonderful time”, back then, it meant beyond expression or understanding, In Judges 13:18 Manoah, Samson’s father has a vision or encounter with God. During this moment he asks the Lord what His name was. The response was, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” In other words, “Why do you ask my name, since it is beyond your understanding?”

Then we have the title we sing every week at church: Lamb of God, This comes from the Gospel of John chapter 1 vs 29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. This title reminds us that Jesus our savior was born for to die, for poor ordinary sinners like you and like I  

 
Of course, not all titles mean the same thing to everyone.  I know of people who grew up with very abuse father’s and would rather say Our Parent in the Lords prayer,  the titles are gifts to point us to who Jesus who, to who was born on Christmas morning. Finally, We didn’t talk much about putting these words into sentences, that is our life. That is what we do with the gifts of God, how they fit into our lives.  

Sermon for Sunday, December 16

The reading 

Isaiah 42:1-9

1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

 The message

Today, we are more and more aware of how important is it to ask “who was this written by”, “who was this written for”, “who paid for this research”, “what is the source” of a particular fact or article, whose perspective is it written from. We are becoming more suspicious of things we hear and more critical of what is presented or said to us.  There are scams, there is misleading information, there are stories that appear to be news but really were created solely to convince you of something.

This is not new.  The prophets faced this criticism, People like Isaiah, Micah, Habbakuk and Jeremiah had to face the question, “are you really a prophet, are you really sharing God’s message, did someone else, not God, put you up to this.  This challenging of the prophetic authority is especially true when they were called to say things that were unpopular or critical of people’s lives.  (that covers a lot of what the prophets said).  As we look at today’s reading, we have to keep those 2 things in mind, we have to ask questions about who said these words, when were they said, who inspired them, how did people react and how do they fit into the 3 or so months we have spent with the Old Testament.      .

Today’s reading is from a part of the book of Isaiah known as Second Isaiah. That means these words were originally shared with the people of Israel enduring life and anxiety in the Babylonian exile. This is the same time period as last week’s reading from the book of Esther, where God acts quietly but powerfully.  The exile was the time immediately after Israel tried to revolt against what they thought was a weakened Babylonian empire only to be defeated. In 586 BC, the temple in Jerusalem is destroyed. To prevent regrouping and another revolt, the people of Israel are scattered to other lands, they are disconnected from their history and community.

This group of Israelites in exile saw their homes destroyed, their families killed, friends and relatives being taken in chains to new, unknown places they were not welcome. in Their wealth was stolen or destroyed, the land that was belonged with their families for many generations, that land they and their ancestors fought for, was taken away.  Relationships between the people were torn apart and forgotten. It seemed like the covenant, that the relationship between the people and God was gone.  The land that was a sign of the covenant was no longer theirs. They watched the temple, the house of God, destroyed. People felt like God abandoned them, got frustrated and walked away or was never there to begin with. People carried a deep sense of personal failure, they could not protect their children, their families or their lands. People entered a conflict with a distracted babloyon that they felt sure to win but lost everything.

There were philosophical struggles as well, where do they fit in the world, what of God’s promises now, where are the answers. Prayers then were little more then What now O God, why Lord did this happen. That is who these words from God through Isaiah were first spoken to.  Victims of trauma, people with what we could call PTSD, extreme depression brought on by failure and loss, people in the midst of spiritual, emotional and physical crisis, people who wanted vengeance on their enemies and restoration of what was theirs. .

The people of Israel wanted revenge, to hurt back, to attack the enemy, punish the other, make it right, catch the criminal, abuse the offender, get justice, repay death with more death, destruction with more destruction.  The prophets words were not what the people wanted to hear.  The writer of Isaiah 42 offers none of that.  Instead, it is an invitation. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. This will be bigger than one nation, one war, or one moment in time.  

Instead of vengeance, the prophet talks of peace, instead of regrouping and winning back the land, the prophet speaks of a place for all people,   Instead of recreating a great nation, the people are told they will be a light to all nations, including their enemies. There would be a savior for all the earth, for all of creation, a place that included their oppressors. There would be an unstoppable force for justice, but it would not be violent or vengeance seeking and it would be only for a certain people.

The savior is described as not breaking a bruised reed or not putting out a dim candle.  That means a stick that’s broken already won’t even fall apart the rest of the way when the savior  passes or a candle low on wax or wick, that a little breeze could extinguish, would not be put out when the savior passes.  That’s not exactly violent. Well, at least, not in the way the people wanted. This promised savior would not attack others, he would attack the things that divide people. He would not kill, he would attack death, he would not start another war, he would attack the causes of war.  The savior would wipe out sin, the stuff that separates us from God.  This is the new vision spoken to people in distress and suffering. This is another defeat, this is good news for all people, After this, there is Advent, there is quiet waiting for these things to be.  

Today’s reading from the book of Isaiah, is our last Old Testament reading before Christmas.  We have heard a lot so far, moments of great drama, anxiety, victory and defeat, help from the Lord and God being silent, tremendous successful and dismal failure. We have seen what God has done before, a cycle of God’s  law, people’s disobedience, punishment, forgiveness, restoration and repeat.  We started with the book of Genesis in early September and we end the Old Testament part of our year with words of hope, with God’s promise to do something new.   

As Christians we look at this passage as one of the 4 servant songs, that speak to the Messiah, that are fulfilled by Jesus. There are other interpretations as well but that is how the words of the prophet spoke to the first Christians and how they speak to us. The first followers of Jesus had to figure out how could the savior, the messiah, be born when and where he was and for what work, to quote my favorite Christmas Carol, How Jesus the savior could be born for to die?  How could the expected, promised one come and not restore Israel’s empire or destroy Israel’s enemies.  How could Jesus not destroy Rome, be crowned the king of an independent Israel. From death, there is life for all.

 

This is why we have spent so long in Advent, almost a third of a year with the Old Testament in Chronological order. To get to this promise: I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.   

After today, we start our journey through the Gospel of Matthew that will bring us to Easter, we will see God keeping this promise in the most unexpected ways. 

Sermon for December 9th

The reading

Esther 4:1-17

1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and 

ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry; 2 he went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 In every province, wherever the king's command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 When Esther's maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people. 

Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days." 12 When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, 13 Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this." 15 Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, 16 "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish." 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

The message

This is the first time I have heard the book of Esther read at church, to be completely honest preparing for today has been the first time that I read the book of Esther.  Although it is set at a historical time, this is not what we would call a true story or a historical book.  It is a story meant to teach and tell of faith at a particular time and place. It is set in Persia during the time of the exile (after the Babylonians destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and forced many of the Jewish people to leave the area in 586 bc).  The story centers on a conflict between Haram, an official in the Persian royal court who hopes to destroy the Jewish people on one side and Mordecai and his cousin Esther who find a way to save them, Esther and Mordecai are Jews in exile and plot any way they can to save their people from Haram. Mordecai serves as an official in the Persian government who is rewarded when the king discovers a very important action he did. Mordecai climbs to significant power.  Esther is rounded up along with other young women, put in the king’s harem and manages to be become Queen.  Although she hides her Jewishness, she can use her position to protect and ultimately save her people. Today’s reading is the time in the story when Morceadi appeals to Esther to take risks, to gain power and use it to save the Jews.  In Judaism, the book of Esther is the source and story of the holiday Purim. Traditionally, Esther is read in its entirety in the evening and morning of that celebration  

I want to share some issues, let’s call it what’s wrong with the book of Esther. It is one of the Biblical books that Martin Luther criticizes, saying he “wished it had never been written”.  People of faith have had serious issues with Esther, for what it is missing. The book mentions the king of Persia 190 times but does not mention the God of Israel once (It is the only biblical book to not mention God).  People also criticize Esther for what it does include.  In chapters 8 and 9, the Jewish people are authorized by the king to kill their enemies. What follows is a lot of violence, including the killing of women, children, apparently innocent people and all the sons of Haram, The violence falls somewhere between necessary self-defense and the ruthless murder of people you don’t like. Criticisms of Esther are not new. Some years after it was written, Greek jews, greatly uncomfortable with aspects of the book, added about 100 verses, to make it conform more to the expected standards of a Biblical book. (the Greek additions to Esther are not accepted as part of the Bible by Jews or Protestants)   

Esther does have its defenders, people who see the presence of God throughout the book, as the  cause of events that could go either way, but always seem to go in favor of Israel. God is quietly guiding or influencing events that allow Mordecai and Esther to save their people. It is written in a time and place where many people wondered: Where is God.  This was a time in history when the prophets were quiet, the temple was destroyed, Israel was exiled and dispersed, people wondered if God’s promises were still good.  Perhaps the book of Esther teaches that God was still acting in the world, even during that awful, apparent silence. In terms of the violence, it is defended as necessary, as the only way to really protect themselves in a very violent and chaotic time.  There are times of great violence against the people of Israel or their enemies, sent, approved or overlooked by God,

Putting those debates behind us, the question for today is Why are we talking about it 2 weeks before Christmas (other than it happens to be the assigned reading for today).  The drama in the book of Esther centers around reversals of fate and fortune.  Haram seeks to destroy the jews and ends up being destroyed, Haram is expecting great honors and power but ends up giving them to Mordecai, Esther is essential taken as a sex slave, finds favor with the king and becomes Queen.  When Moredecai first hears that Haram plans to destroy the Jews, he goes crazy with fear and anger, but that news becomes the way to save everyone.  Each and every decision Haram makes is very rational, well thought out and turns out to be bad and works against him.  Each and every choice goes in favor of Esther and Mordecai, each and every decision of the king turns out in their favor, each event in society helps them.

Through all this, Esther and Mordecai are set as examples about being faithful, putting others first, leaving comforts for a greater good, trusting the Lord.  They make a series of bold, difficult and brave decisions, which leave them in danger and open to attack. Any decision could easily backfire on them, leading to their deaths or even the destruction of the Jewish people

Christmas, what we wait for, is also about reversals and bold decisions. A non-royal child grows to be king of kings, an executed miracle worker is the long expected savior, the birth of a child born in a barn to people nobody on earth knew is welcomed by a star in the night sky (like an emperor), a child born to an oppressed people becomes Lord of all people, the cross of humiliation becomes the way to glory, death becomes the way to life. The words of lowly shepherds becomes the good news that Christ our savior is born.   

Esther is our invitation to remember God is present with us always. Next week, as we hear part of second Isaish, we hear words of comfort and future spoken to people who lost everything. God has a plan for the world, for each of us and our communities.  We are called to trust.   Esther is also an invitation to remember God works through unexpected people, through us and God changes things. 

Finally, Esther is our invitation be bold and wise. The metro NY synod’s strategic plan, the complex but faithful work for the future is subtitled: For such a time as this. I never realized before but that phrase comes right out of the book of Esther, todays reading more precisely Mordecai’s plea to his cousin:  For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this

Today starts my 10^th year as the pastor of my first church, this church. I believe I am still here for such a time as this. This church, finishing our 151^st year of faith, life and prayer, is still here for such a time as this.  We are invited to remember, we are children of the same God. You are in college for such a time as this, in high school, in relationship, in retirement, at work for such a time as this.  we know what time it is. Now. we ask what are our gifts, abilities, ideas, hopes and vision, how do we save our people with the good news. 

Sermon for December 2

The reading 

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:2-4; 3:[3b-6] 17-19

1:1 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4 So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous -- therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

2:2 Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. 3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. 4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

[3:3b His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth from his hand, where his power lay hidden. 5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind. 6 He stopped and shook the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble. The eternal mountains were shattered; along his ancient pathways the everlasting hills sank low.]

3:17 Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.

The message

We are coming to the end of our long Advent season, Since September, we have gone through the Old Testament, hearing the stories of creation and flood, God’s call of people like Moses, Abraham and Joshua, the covenants or agreements between God and the people, God’s powerful interference with world on behalf of the people of Israel and others. We are now in the time of the prophets, who were set apart and entrusted with sharing God’s messages of judgment and hope.  So far, we have heard from the words of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah, who all call the people to repent, to live justice and faith, warn of coming destruction and share promises of hope.     

Today, we hear from Habbakuk.   Much like how to say his name, no one is really sure who he was. In terms of his background and family history, there is almost nothing known.  He was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, sharing prophesy around the same, terrible time. Like many of the other prophets, Habbakuk spoke hard, unwelcomed news, the people of Israel have been unfaithful too long (a charge that was hard to deny). Because of this God would withdraw protection, allow Israel’s enemies to conquer them, invading foreign powers would serve as God’s instrument of judgment on Israel. Because of one too many acts of disobedience, too much sin, society wide forgetting of what the Lord has done, attempts to build a godless world and abuse of others, destruction would come.     

Habbakuk speaks the same message as many of the other prophets but he is very different from them, Habbakuk questions the Lord.  Hearing the message to share, he asks “really”, “is that fair or just”, “is this the right or godly response to the situation”. “why not just intervene to make things better, to replace bad leaders”.  Habbakuk asks God a lot of very direct, pointed questions,   Should the people be held accountable for bad leaders they prayed to get rid of, for the actions of neighbors they constantly tried to change. Habbakuk tells the people the word of the Lord and, at the same time, asks the Lord, is that really your word, Is this fair, is this right or just, is whatever punishment to come the measured and proper response to the actions of the people. Why does God allow evil people to control things?  Why does God allow the greedy and abusive to prosper through their actions and then let those actions doom everyone.

Today’s reading gives us Habbakuk’s questions, the Lord’s response and then Habbakuk’s reaction to that response.  Habbakuk asks   O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, yell out the abuse of the powerful here on earth, highlight their faithlessness and you will not listen?  We cannot stop bad authorities without you.  I cry out "Violence!, calling your attention to what is happening, pointing out look over there, asking Lord stop the violence" and nothing changes,  you will not save? You, O Lord control things, How can the people be punished for things they cannot control. Habbakuk does not want to say “yeah, I told you so” when the bad things come (reading some of the other prophets, you get a sense they sort of do).  As Habbakuk shares the word of the Lord, he asks what his audience will be thinking, “is this right or fair”?

God answers these questions, urging patience and trust in God’s power and providence, in finding comfort in what we can understand and accepting what we cannot understand or see fully.  God says For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.  Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

The righteous live by their faith should sound familiar, it is in Paul’s letter to the Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,[a] as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”  Its in Paul’s letter to Galatians 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” Its in Pauls letter to the  Hebrews 10:38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.  This verse is at the heart of our faith tradition.  Luther’s prayer time and biblical study that leads to the Reformation starts with the righteous shall live by faith. It is where Luther first sees the comfort of the Gospel, the assurance of salvation, the good news meant for us.  God’s plan for us is bigger than winning a war, having a neat and well-kept temple, successful business or healing from a disease, it is about forever things for everyone.  

Habbakuk gets that and responds with acceptance and even praise, even if things are bad, if things are not right, if suffering comes to the undeserving (which it did),  I will still trust the Lord.  Habbakuk shares dire possibilities, Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls. To people who lived off the land and their crops, this was the end of the world. To all this Habbakuk promises  he will live by faith, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.

This movement from confronting the Lord with aggressive questions, thinking “oh I caught you” to words of praise and acceptance, is not new. Psalm 22, starts with my God,  my God why have you forsaken me, and ends with words of praise, thanksgiving and celebration, God is in charge.  We know Psalm 22 best from Good Friday, Jesus last words from the cross, history’s most significant example of God’s plans not being our plans.   In this case, even the end, death, does not stop God’s promise from being kept.

Many other psalms express the same anger, the same struggle with how can a caring, all powerful God, allow, let, encourage or overlook such terrible things.  Habbakuk’s  asks those questions, hears them answered about 2600 years ago and accepts the Lord’s word. We still ask those questions. When we do not like an answer, when it does not speak to our minds, we ask the question again and again,

The righteous live by faith, the righteous ask these questions by faith, the righteous listen for the answers by faith. The righteous sort what matters by faith,  Habbakuk, his questions asked and answered, I will trust in the Lord.