Wait Patiently for the Lord

Pentecost 17, October 5, 2025

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Psalm 37:1-11
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10

To have the patience to wait for something desirable is often a difficult thing to do. In part that comes from our modern society and the ability to do things quickly. You know those possibilities. If you order something on-line you are usually given a choice to how quickly you wish to receive the item. Although, to receive something quickly comes with a price. I would guess that there is a good profit in providing quick delivery. Most of what is offered for quick delivery is probably not that important to receive quickly. Although, there may be some things like a part for the furnace when it is 20 below zero outside. But, mostly, an extra couple of days or even a week really does not matter. In our lesson from Habakkuk we hear a different kind of waiting. That is waiting for the Lord. For Habakkuk is waiting for justice and righteousness to come. His complaint to God is that the  wicked are prospering, evil is being done to the poor, and the law is perverted. “When will God save the righteous?” He asks. God answers Habakkuk that justice will come but until then look and see how fragile the wicked and proud are. Our psalm answers in the same way by telling us to wait patiently for God’s righteousness. But neither of these texts tell us that we can sit around and wait. For Habakkuk and the psalmist there are things to do while we wait. We see many examples or actively waiting in our lessons for today.

Habakkuk took his concern to God and spoke to those who were perverting justice to give them encouragement. He also shared God’s message with the people. The psalmist wrote to give assurance to those who were being abused. Paul reminds us of the same thing. He encourages Timothy to live in the faith that he had been given at the laying on of hands. Paul goes on to remind him to not be ashamed to testify about Jesus and to live a life with the power of the spirit, love, and self-discipline. While our lesson from Jesus is disconcerting, Jesus starts off by reminding us that we do not utilize our faith to our utmost ability. While I am not sure why one would want to tell a mulberry tree to move, there are many other things that I would like to get done. With this parable Jesus is telling us that we can do much more than we think we just need to try. And, in the end, we will be lucky if we are able to finish what we are called to do, let alone more than our expected tasks.

There is much work to be done in our world in living out our faith. So much work that the task can look to be impossible. That might actually be true if it was left up to us. But we are not alone as we actively wait for Jesus. We act together as the Body of Christ; we as Trinity Church and as the whole catholic church. That all means we do not have to do everything in everyplace. Instead, we each have a small role to play in sharing the good news of Jesus to our part of the world. We share God’s love in many different ways – by word and deed. So as you wait for the coming of the Lord take up your part to bring God’s truth, justice, and love to all the world.