The Promises of God - Habakkuk - God's Terrible Plan by Rev. Donnell Wyche - a2vc.org. Like us on fb.com/vineyardannarbor or watch our livestream Sundays @ 10:45am - vimeo.com/annarborvineyard
Pastor Donnell encourages us to reflect on the nature of God's promises and our responses to them, especially during times of struggle and waiting. In his sermon titled "The Promises of God - Habakkuk - God's Terrible Plan" he delves into biblical narratives, focusing on how characters interact with God's promises through phases of receiving, believing, waiting, seeing, and blessing. He highlights the universal promise God made to humanity after Adam and Eve's disobedience, emphasizing God's continuous effort to fix the rebellion's consequences and asking for humanity's trust.
Pastor Donnell explores the prophet Habakkuk's dialogue with God, where Habakkuk questions God's seemingly unfair plans and confronts the injustice and violence he witnesses. This interaction serves as a model for bringing our doubts, questions, and anger to God. Pastor Donnell points out that even in the face of difficult or seemingly terrible divine plans, worship and faith in God's nature as a promise keeper are crucial.
He further discusses the impact of injustice and oppression, both on the oppressed and the oppressors, and the role of empire in these dynamics. Drawing parallels with contemporary issues of injustice and the feeling of helplessness they often evoke, he encourages bringing these concerns to God.
Concluding, Pastor Donnell relates this to Jesus Christ's own experience with state-sponsored violence and his ultimate resurrection, presenting it as the ultimate example of God's power over empire and violence. He challenges the congregation to examine their own lives for ways they might be perpetuating mini empires and to seek repentance and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
