In the Meantime
Bob Wickizer
Habakkuk 1:1-4
For my first four years in Muskogee, I have attended the clergy conference for our diocese in October. I quickly came to dislike the three days every year spent listening to deadly boring presentations that had no relevance for anything we are doing or need to do here. Finally, this week, on the fifth year, we actually had a useful conference titled ''Welcoming new people into your church.'' I returned home with enthusiasm and new ideas.
In surveying the readings for today, the prophet Habakkuk kept coming up for me like an old song you can't get out of your head. This reading from chapter 2 was essentially the spark of the Protestant Reformation. Theology professor, Martin Luther, had tremendous difficulties with the practices of the Mediaeval Roman Catholic Church. But when he read chapter 2 of Habbakuk, he realized that the righteous indeed live by their faithfulness and not by earning their way into heaven by good works or paying indulgences to the church. Luther went on to say that we are justified, that is, made righteous, by our faithfulness. Given that one verse in chapter two converted a mediaeval theologian and sparked a reformation movement lasting six hundred years, I would think is reason enough for a sermon on it.
But Habakkuk (''hava' quq'' in Hebrew) poses challenges on many fronts. This is not the kind of text you can just read the translation and walk away. In fact, Old Testament scholars at major universities spend eight years writing their Ph.D. dissertation on these two chapters and they still don't understand it all. Can we take away anything helpful in ten minutes?
Habakkuk has witnessed the first Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. He watched all the movers and shakers, all the political leaders and the wealthy, rounded up and marched out of the city. He is now seeing a second devastating siege where the Babylonians simply want to destroy every thing and every one they encounter. Ancient ...
Bob Wickizer
Habakkuk 1:1-4
For my first four years in Muskogee, I have attended the clergy conference for our diocese in October. I quickly came to dislike the three days every year spent listening to deadly boring presentations that had no relevance for anything we are doing or need to do here. Finally, this week, on the fifth year, we actually had a useful conference titled ''Welcoming new people into your church.'' I returned home with enthusiasm and new ideas.
In surveying the readings for today, the prophet Habakkuk kept coming up for me like an old song you can't get out of your head. This reading from chapter 2 was essentially the spark of the Protestant Reformation. Theology professor, Martin Luther, had tremendous difficulties with the practices of the Mediaeval Roman Catholic Church. But when he read chapter 2 of Habbakuk, he realized that the righteous indeed live by their faithfulness and not by earning their way into heaven by good works or paying indulgences to the church. Luther went on to say that we are justified, that is, made righteous, by our faithfulness. Given that one verse in chapter two converted a mediaeval theologian and sparked a reformation movement lasting six hundred years, I would think is reason enough for a sermon on it.
But Habakkuk (''hava' quq'' in Hebrew) poses challenges on many fronts. This is not the kind of text you can just read the translation and walk away. In fact, Old Testament scholars at major universities spend eight years writing their Ph.D. dissertation on these two chapters and they still don't understand it all. Can we take away anything helpful in ten minutes?
Habakkuk has witnessed the first Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. He watched all the movers and shakers, all the political leaders and the wealthy, rounded up and marched out of the city. He is now seeing a second devastating siege where the Babylonians simply want to destroy every thing and every one they encounter. Ancient ...
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