The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, October 30, 2016 - Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 and Luke 19:1-10

Thanks to Carol Sumner, who took this picture
of Zion National Park's Watchman last week.

(For a couple of recent poems on strictly political matters, please page down or click on Bonus Poem(s) to the right.)

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

Keep Watch

On the plane,
I watch the man
Across the aisle
Reading the magazine
With at least one gun
Pictured per page.
Some of the headlines,
Mostly ads, read:

American exceptionalism
A smoother way to shoot
Clinton and Shumer are one election away from taking your guns
Stop any threat dead in its tracks

I worry about this kind of vigilance.
It purports to trust in oneself;
But if truth be told,
The trust is really
In all you can buy
To keep you safe -
Ever bigger, ever faster,
Ever smoother, ever prouder.

Look at them, says Habakkuk;
Some spirit is not right.
But wait for it. Wait for it.
Wait for the exception,
Trust the one who comes to you,
Live like no one will let you down,
Watch for grace for all
That'll knock your socks off.

Scott L. Barton


Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. 
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, 
and you will not listen? 
Or cry to you “Violence!” 
and you will not save? 
Why do you make me see wrong-doing 
and look at trouble? 
Destruction and violence are before me; 
strife and contention arise. 
So the law becomes slack 
and justice never prevails. 
The wicked surround the righteous— 
therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

I will stand at my watchpost, 
and station myself on the rampart; 
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, 
and what he will answer concerning my complaint. 
Then the Lord answered me and said: 
Write the vision; 
make it plain on tablets, 
so that a runner may read it. 
For there is still a vision for the appointed time; 
it speaks of the end, and does not lie. 
If it seems to tarry, wait for it; 
it will surely come, it will not delay. 
Look at the proud! 
Their spirit is not right in them, 
but the righteous live by their faith.

+ + +

Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man

Zacchaeus was a wee little man:
We loved to sing that song!
With finger wagging, "You come down!"
We knew we all belonged
To Jesus, who, to us might come
Someday, though we were small!
These days, much taller, would he still
To my house make a call?
And if he did, would I be so
Astounded that he came,
I'd change my ways, perhaps give more?
And he would change my name?
Or is this scene all by itself
A parable of grace,
Since those who'd like to know this God -
No matter time or place -
Will find Christ even more inclined
To knock upon their door,
For he insists! Not just observed
Will he be anymore!
This God e'en now, across the years,
Would still with us consort,
For faith, you see, is not a climb,
Or some spectator sport;
To be a "child of Abraham,"
Means you have been restored
Not by your efforts, but by love,
Which is its own reward.

Scott L. Barton

[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”