Loving God, in the midst of a world that so often opposes you, you call us to live by faith.  Stir up your Spirit, O God, and fill our hearts with the gifts of faith, hope and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    We don’t hear from Habakkuk very often.  It is a small book in the Old Testament - one of the minor prophets.  Yet, it is actually quite amazing how much Habakkuk has to say that still speaks to us today.  Habakkuk lived in the midst of war and the threat of war.  The Babylonians were a constant threat who would eventually destroy Jerusalem, and it seemed as though violence was constant and increasing.  And so Habakkuk lodges a complaint with God about all that he sees going on.

    How long, O Lord?  How long will you ignore my cries for help?  How long will you allow this violence to continue?  How long are you going to wait in order to save your people? How long are you going to surround me with destruction and violence?  How long will I have to look at wrong-doing and trouble?  Don’t you see what’s happening, God?  The wicked are having their way, justice is never done, and the law is being ignored (Hab. 1:2-4).

    Have any of you ever lodged a similar complaint?... Please know that you are not alone!  Habakkuk sees what is happening in the world, and just doesn’t get it.  Why is God allowing all of this to happen?  It is a question that most certainly still gets asked today.

    At the same time, today we get a glimpse of Jesus’ response to what he sees going on around him and what he knows is soon to come.  In Jesus’ case, he is not asking the “why” questions.  Instead, he is grieved and agitated.  While his own impending death certainly has something to do with this, his grief is not just for himself.  Rather, Jesus is grieved over the way in which people ignore God and refuse the gift of salvation that is right there in front of them.  Jesus is grieved that people will once again resort to violence and hatred, rather than allowing God to heal them.

    While some people perhaps never get past the grief and the why questions, Jesus does, and Habakkuk does.  One of the neat things about today’s reading is that we not only hear Habakkuk’s complaint, but we also hear God’s reply.  While it is given in somewhat poetic language, the message is basically this: God will deliver you and save you, but it might take a while.  God has not forgotten God’s promises.  Wickedness and violence will not triumph in the end.  If God seems to delay, wait for it.  And in the mean time, live by faith (Hab. 2:2-4).

    While some translations mention living by faith, others talk about being faithful, or faithfulness.  These other words are helpful in thinking about what living by faith actually means.  For, in all circumstances, whether numbers are increasing or decreasing, in good times and in bad, we are called to be faithful.  We are called to continue to live as God intends us to live – regardless of how many others seem to ignore God or how much the world seems to be going in other directions.  We are called to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves, regardless of whether any of those neighbours return the favour or not.

    At the same time, living by faith will also mean waiting for the Lord, at times.  We sang today, “Wait for the Lord,” and we also heard “wait for it” from Habakkuk.  Sometimes waiting for the Lord means taking the time to stop and listen and pray, open to seeing what God is ready to show us.  At other times, we might be waiting for answers to prayer, or waiting to see the kingdom of God in all its fulness.  As we discover when we live by faith, God’s timing is not always the same as our timing.  However, through the Scriptures we continue to see how God’s promises are fulfilled – even after hundreds of years!

    As we continue to think about living by faith, it is a good time to ask ourselves if we really believe that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.  Do we believe that, in spite of how things might seem, all things have been placed under Jesus’ rule?  Do we believe that Jesus will be the judge in the end, and that he rules with both justice and mercy?  Do we believe that the future is in God’s hands, especially the time that has been appointed for the end?

    When we live by faith, we still plan for the future, but we know that ultimately we are in God’s hands, and God is our only security.  And so, rather than living in fear of what might happen, we continue to be faithful, doing what we have been called to do, and trusting God for those things that are beyond our control.  In fact, giving an offering is actually an act of faith and trust.  When I give an offering, I believe that God has provided what I am giving, and that God will continue to provide.  In other words, I can give this, because God will provide.

    Surely this is the same kind of faith that allows the prophet Habakkuk to rejoice in spite of the trouble that he sees all around.  The part that we heard today from chapter 3 is actually the very end of Habakkuk’s prayer, which was intended to be sung as a lament.  The beginning of that prayer is also worth hearing:

O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work.  In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known (Hab. 3:2).

There is a longing there to see God at work, just like in times past when God has acted to save.

    Then, in the midst of attacks from the Babylonians and drought and famine, Habakkuk rejoices and exults in God (Hab. 3:16-18).  How is that possible?... He reminds himself, “God, the Lord, is my strength” (Hab. 3:19).  He knows that no matter how bad things seem to be, God is still there to give strength and to save.  That is living by faith!

    And so, continue to be faithful.  Love God and love one another.  Pause long enough to wait for the Lord, and remind yourselves of God’s promises.  Put your trust in the Lord of heaven and earth – the one who not only rules and judges all things, but who gave himself for you in loving service and self-sacrifice.  And then, in spite of how things look, rejoice in the Lord – for God is your strength.  Amen.

Advent 1 (NL 1)                        Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:2-4; 3:17-19
November 30, 2014                    Matthew 26:36-38
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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