It's impossible! It's too much! Help, Lord! There are such high expectations from the faithful, yet we-faithful don't seem to be getting any special powers to meet those expectations. What's up with you, God? Give us a hand!
A rare turn to the prophet Habakkuk begins with the prophet's complaint that the righteous are being oppressed and exploited by the wicked, denied any kind of justice, and where's God? God seems to be sitting on his divine hands. The prophet despairs, "How long, Lord?"
Then skipping to chapter 2, we hear God's response. If Habakkuk was expecting divine intervention to address the problems, he would be disappointed. God says: Write the vision. (NRSV) What does that mean?
The sermon title comes from the exclamation of the disciples in Luke 17 after Jesus tells them about forgiveness, that if a believer sins seven times a day, then they must forgive seven times. Thus their despairing cry: "Increase our faith!"
Jesus' response begins by teaching that faith is beyond measure, that even faith as small as the size of a mustard seed (pictured above) can transform with the miraculous. And as far as the expectation that God should come and serve them in their needs, he tells them a story about the servant and the master.
To get the whole story, check out the sermon video below, and the downloads below the video panel.
A rare turn to the prophet Habakkuk begins with the prophet's complaint that the righteous are being oppressed and exploited by the wicked, denied any kind of justice, and where's God? God seems to be sitting on his divine hands. The prophet despairs, "How long, Lord?"
Then skipping to chapter 2, we hear God's response. If Habakkuk was expecting divine intervention to address the problems, he would be disappointed. God says: Write the vision. (NRSV) What does that mean?
The sermon title comes from the exclamation of the disciples in Luke 17 after Jesus tells them about forgiveness, that if a believer sins seven times a day, then they must forgive seven times. Thus their despairing cry: "Increase our faith!"
Jesus' response begins by teaching that faith is beyond measure, that even faith as small as the size of a mustard seed (pictured above) can transform with the miraculous. And as far as the expectation that God should come and serve them in their needs, he tells them a story about the servant and the master.
To get the whole story, check out the sermon video below, and the downloads below the video panel.
| 10-02-16-ff-answers.pdf |
| 10-02-16-increase_our_faith.pdf |