Sometimes I hear people say that they’re angry with God,
but are afraid to let themselves feel it, or express it.  To those
people, I often suggest Biblical reading.  The Bible has no problem
being angry with God nor expressing it.  Habakkuh does a great job
with this.

How long, O God!  

How long shall I cry for help without getting help?

How long will I tell you of the violence I’m living
without you intervening?

Why help me see what’s wrong, without helping me change
it?

Why is trouble all I see?

Why is destruction all around me?

Why is there never justice?

Why are your laws ignored?

Why is everything getting WORSE?

I’m listening God.

I’m standing here, watching and listening, to hear your
response,

waiting for you to acknowledge my complaints.

Right?  Excellent work Habakkuk.

And, way to speak the universal even though you were
speaking to a specific context.  It feels like Habakkuh holds today’s
paper in his hands as he writes!

Now, as much as I like the truth of his words, and as
much as I appreciate him finding words when I can’t always do it, the
great part for me in this reading is that God DOES respond.

God says:

Write down my vision.

Write it so big someone running by will be able to read
it.

I still have a vision for justice.

I’m still working for good.

My visions are not a lie.

If it seems too slow, be patient.

Justice is coming.

It will not always be true that injustice wins, or that
those who do harm prosper.

Keep your eyes on my vision.

That’s what we’re doing here.  We see, we acknowledge,
we name the injustices of the world.  We bemoan them.  We advocate
for change, and we are required to see what’s wrong in order to
change it.  BUT we also have to see what could be in order to change
it.  And we don’t stay with the injustice forever.  We keep our focus
on God’s visions.

We keep our focus on the transformational power of love.

We keep our focus on God’s dreams of a just world.

We keep our focus on hope of what is possible.

We don’t believe the injustices of the world are the
final answer.  We believe God wins, and that love wins.

And that’s the table we gather at together.  The one of
hope, the one of EVERYONE, the one that brings us together to work
for God’s vision.  People in different countries, people in different
denominations, people speaking different languages, people with
different bodies in , people with different theological
understandings of sacrament.  United by vision.  Being fed by the
bread of life so we can be for the world a gift of love.  Receiving
the gifts of God’s love so we can share it.  Remembering hope, so we
can live it.  Expanding the table, because that’s an imperative part
of the vision itself.

We receive the bread of life.

We are the bread of life.

Thanks be to God. Amen

Rev. Sara E. Baron
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
Pronouns: she/her/hers
http://fumcschenectady.org/
https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

October 2, 2022