Proper 22 (C) - October 2, 2022

Ideas

Habbakkuk - wants to quit and resign - these people are hot mess and Got prevents him, there is still a vision for the appointed time. Call develops - God didn’t forget about people that need God

Psalm:

2 Timothy 1:1–14 (NRSV)

“Fake” Paul

Rekindling the gift of God - God is magic, not the ritual - God is in there, we are not bringing him

Luke 17:5–10 NRSV

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. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”

Cultural context is needed - doulos - pat on the back from just doing the right thing - no congratulations there, no building up of credits

Good morning,

Firstly, I would like to offer a moment of silence for all those affected by the extreme weather these past days..... At least 65 people lost their lives and many more were affected.

Well, it is safe to say we are living in some harsh weather times that is for sure. We got some pretty intense rains here as well, but of course that is nothing compared to the weather in Florida or the Carolinas. Here and now, we are not escaping these news, but rather we delve into the texts once more to make a better sense of the world we live in and its creator, God in three persons.

Perhaps sometimes we feel like prophet Habakkuk:

The New Revised Standard Version The Prophet’s Complaint

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.

Some strong, strong words…and it continues on:

The New Revised Standard Version The Prophet’s Complaint

Look at the nations, and see!

Be astonished! Be astounded!

For a work is being done in your days

that you would not believe if you were told.

6 For I am rousing the Chaldeans,

that fierce and impetuous nation,

who march through the breadth of the earth

to seize dwellings not their own.

7 Dread and fearsome are they;

their justice and dignity proceed from themselves.

8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,

more menacing than wolves at dusk;

their horses charge.

Their horsemen come from far away;

they fly like an eagle swift to devour.

9 They all come for violence,

with faces pressinga forward;

they gather captives like sand.

10 At kings they scoff,

and of rulers they make sport.

They laugh at every fortress,

and heap up earth to take it.

11 Then they sweep by like the wind;

they transgress and become guilty;

their own might is their god!

Oof, it is painting quite the picture, isn’t it?

And then comes God’s answer:

The New Revised Standard Version God’s Reply to the Prophet’s Complaint

I will stand at my watchpost,

and station myself on the rampart;

I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,

and what hea will answer concerning my complaint.

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.b

5 Moreover, wealthc is treacherous;

the arrogant do not endure.

They open their throats wide as Sheol;

like Death they never have enough.

They gather all nations for themselves,

and collect all peoples as their own.

Obviously, God IS watching and is not indifferent, but perhaps God’s timing leaves things to be desired for those that suffered then! And to those transgressors God does not spare words either:

The New Revised Standard Version The Woes of the Wicked

How long will you load yourselves with goods taken in pledge?

7 Will not your own creditors suddenly rise,

and those who make you tremble wake up?

Then you will be booty for them.

8 Because you have plundered many nations,

all that survive of the peoples shall plunder you

In other words, earthly usurped power does not last forever and the tables WILL eventually turn and the trangressors will find themselves in ruin. Again and again, it has happened - where is the Holy Roman Empire today? Austro-Hungarian Empire? The expansive Commonwealth? Third Reich? The Soviet Union? They lie in ruin or greatly diminished as they should because usurped power doesn’t have the luxury of Divine protection - God doesn’t want us to dominate others and to subdue them, God wants us to have dominion, good stewardship over the creation entrusted to us. I believe we are not called to be corporate re-developers with trucks and heavy machinery, but rather careful gardeners with simpler tools and a lot of love and care for the garden!

Quite frankly, a lot of the problems we have today stem from the accelerated growth that humanity experienced. In the last two to three centuries, our civilization has grown so much. Some of it is really good - modern medicine is making us live longer and especially with the rise of preventative medicine the quality of life is increasing even in old age for many or social justice progress is no longer contained within books and poems, but it is actually coming to be realized, even if it can get stunted and actually flip flop depending on those who are in power.... However, on the other hand, the exponential rise of industries and technology lead to unprecedented pollution, changed weather patterns, extinct species, rise of totalitarian surveillance and societal control like never before, and the increase of the wealth gap across cities, counties, countries, regions, continents, and the world. Human progress led to the discovery of antibiotics and vaccinations, but also to deadly attack drones and atom bombs.

I think the biggest enemy of humanity is humanity itself. And that is where our gospel reading comes into play today. Sure, sometimes it is a more discernable situation like in Habakkuk - without villifiying one side and elevating the other as the Hebrews also weren’t perfect, Russia in Ukraine is like the Chaldeans - taking what is not theirs and it will come due against them. But often times, who is responsible for suffering is a mess. And that is where our forgiveness and faith comes into play.

Immediately in the part preceding our gospel reading is this:

The New Revised Standard Version Some Sayings of Jesus

Jesusa said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! 2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Be on your guard! If another discipleb sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

So three things are at play in this whole section.

Firstly, there is a communal responsibility to rebuke, repent, and forgive…again and again. Secondly, the power of faith cannot be understated - it is powerful. And thirdly, as servants (doulos) of God, we are not to expect a reward for doing the right thing, for that is simply obedience to the Lord.

Just these three rules can inform our behavior in the face of a broken world full of suffering. We are responsible to call out injustice and sin, but also offer forgiveness when repentance is present. Imagine a world, where we all assume that nobody is beyond accountability AND repentance. Then what if we believed that faith can truly move mountains as it is not us that provide the power for it, but God? And finally, what if we stopped expecting a reward for doing the right thing that God commands us to do, the bare minimum, and then simply do it for the inherent satisfaction of doing it?

The Good news is that we can try all this and God WILL be with us and not with the oppressor, invader, or the usurper. Is it practical and safe? Not necessarily, but it is the right thing to do. And just trying it bears its reward in itself - it is to try and live into the promised Kingdom of God, where God’s love and justice may finally fully reign. All the while we wait as the tables turn on those that try to usurp power and wealth that do not belong to them and their debts will come due. The world IS about to turn and the fires of God’s justice will burn. Amen