The First Week of October

We read…

In our readings this week, we can see a common theme of trusting that God will move. Habakkuk cries out to God about the violence and wrong-doing that he sees, and God responds by telling him that God’s vision for the world is still for righteousness and goodness to prevail. The psalmist acknowledges the evil that exists but reminds us to trust in God, to live in God’s ways, to be still and wait for God. 2 Timothy reminds us that God did not call us to live in fear but to live in God’s power. We can trust that God is with us, and we don’t have to be afraid. 

In Luke 17:5-6, we read about the apostles asking Jesus to increase their faith, and he gives an interesting response. It feels like he is saying that this isn’t needed, but what does that mean? Jesus wants to reorient their faith, he calls for them to trust in God with even the smallest amount of faith. The apostles didn’t need a bigger portion of faith, they needed to place their faith and trust in the right place. Not in their own selves, not in the laws they followed, but in God.

Habakkuk 1:1-4

1The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. ² Lord, how long will I call for help and you not listen? I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you don’t deliver us.³ Why do you show me injustice and look at anguish so that devastation and violence are before me?There is strife, and conflict abounds.⁴ The Instruction is ineffective. Justice does not endure because the wicked surround the righteous. Justice becomes warped.

Habakkuk 2:1-4

1I will take my post; I will position myself on the fortress. I will keep watch to see what the Lord says to me and how he will respond to my complaint. ² Then the Lord answered me and said, Write a vision, and make it plain upon a tablet so that a runner can read it. ³ There is still a vision for the appointed time; it testifies to the end; it does not deceive. If it delays, wait for it; for it is surely coming; it will not be late.⁴ Some people’s desires are truly audacious; they don’t do the right thing. But the righteous person will live honestly.

Psalm 37:1-9

1 Don’t get upset over evildoers; don’t be jealous of those who do wrong,² because they will fade fast, like grass; they will wither like green vegetables.³ Trust the Lord and do good; live in the land, and farm faithfulness.⁴ Enjoy the Lord, and he will give what your heart asks.⁵ Commit your way to the Lord! Trust him! He will act ⁶ and will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like high noon.⁷ Be still before the Lord, and wait for him.Don’t get upset when someone gets ahead—someone who invents evil schemes. ⁸ Let go of anger and leave rage behind! Don’t get upset—it will only lead to evil.⁹ Because evildoers will be eliminated, but those who hope in the Lord— they will possess the land.

2 Timothy 1:1-14

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.

² To Timothy, my dear child.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³ I’m grateful to God, whom I serve with a good conscience as my ancestors did. I constantly remember you in my prayers day and night. ⁴ When I remember your tears, I long to see you so that I can be filled with happiness. ⁵ I’m reminded of your authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m sure that this faith is also inside you. ⁶ Because of this, I’m reminding you to revive God’s gift that is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.

⁸ So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about the Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, share the suffering for the good news, depending on God’s power. ⁹ God is the one who saved and called us with a holy calling. This wasn’t based on what we have done, but it was based on his own purpose and grace that he gave us in Christ Jesus before time began. ¹⁰ Now his grace is revealed through the appearance of our savior, Christ Jesus. He destroyed death and brought life and immortality into clear focus through the good news. ¹¹ I was appointed a messenger, apostle, and teacher of this good news. ¹² This is also why I’m suffering the way I do, but I’m not ashamed. I know the one in whom I’ve placed my trust. I’m convinced that God is powerful enough to protect what he has placed in my trust until that day. ¹³ Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you heard from me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Protect this good thing that has been placed in your trust through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Luke 17:5-10 

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶ 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.

⁷ “Would any of you say to your servant, who had just come in from the field after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Come! Sit down for dinner’? ⁸ Wouldn’t you say instead, ‘Fix my dinner. Put on the clothes of a table servant and wait on me while I eat and drink. After that, you can eat and drink’? ⁹ You won’t thank the servant because the servant did what you asked, will you? ¹⁰ In the same way, when you have done everything required of you, you should say, ‘We servants deserve no special praise. We have only done our duty.’”

We think…

• What stands out to you in these verses?
  

• Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
  

• How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or in the church?
  

• What are you considering?
  

• What questions come to mind?
  

• Why did God speak through prophets in the Bible? Does God still give messages for people to share today?
  

• How easy or difficult is it to follow the instructions in Psalm 37? 

We feel…

• What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
  

• Where have you seen God today or this week?
  

• What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, maybe a friend or adult that cares for you)?
  

• What has God made new in your life? In your heart? 
  

• When have you waited on God to answer? What was that experience like?
  

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• What does it mean that God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid or afraid? What does this actually look like in your own life?

We believe…

Luke 17:7-10 is a really interesting passage. We might read it and wonder, what does this have to do with me? How does this connect to what I believe? Jesus is talking to his disciples in light of their culture and religious context. The Pharisees often believed that if they worked hard enough, they would earn God’s love and blessings. If they worked hard enough, God would owe them something. Jesus is saying the opposite with this passage, and that matters for us today, too! We believe that God loves us and offers us grace and forgiveness. All of this is a gift, and it’s a gift because it’s freely given. We can’t work hard enough to earn these things. We don’t believe that God owes us anything because of how we live our lives. Now - this doesn’t mean that our lives, actions, and words don’t matter. They definitely do. But we have to see that none of those things can earn us our place in God’s Kingdom.

We practice…

What destruction and violence exists in the world around you? Where do you see a need for God to bring God’s justice? Take a few minutes this week and write down prayers for your community, for the things you are carrying, for the needs that you see. As you write these down, remember that God hears you and sees these things too. Pray for God to give you God’s eyes, ears, and even voice.