The Gathering

What does Habakkuk teach us about patience? Habakkuk was written for the people experiencing the years-long assaults on Jersusalem and Judah. In the book, the writer asks two or three pretty tough questions for God. How long is this attack on Jerusalem going to last? Why is this happening or why aren’t you doing anything about it? When faced with these questions, Habakkuk urges us to have a vision and a plan and to wait on God’s timing.

What does God expect of us when we witness injustice?
Matt tied the message of Micah to the current unrest and ferment in the STL area and the responsibility of all of us to take individual action to address racism, violence, poverty and injustice. He emphasized that God was angry with the people for ignoring injustice that was all around them, not for the failure to observe Jewish ritual and law. In other words, the people were committing both sins of commission and omission. Biblical faith is more than a personal faith; it is also a communal faith.

What does Esther teach us about fear and courage in our contemporary life? At the beginning of the sermon, Pastor Miofsky connected Esther to the civil unrest in the STL region in the aftermath of the police shootings and subsequent protests and riots. He was clear that each of us has a responsibility to act somehow in ways that lead to healing for the people in the region.

What does Ruth teach us about our God’s loyalty, steadfastness and chesed?Ruth is one of the oldest and shortest books in the Old Testament. It illustrates that God sees our hearts, not our surface appearance or our family of origin. It shows how God can work powerfully in the midst of life’s travails and setbacks. Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi and Naomi’s loyalty to Ruth are a reflection of God’s loyalty to us. God is on the side of the widow and the foreigner. We should be, too.