PRACTICING PERSISTENCE

October 16, 2022
19^th Sunday after Pentecost
Jer. 29:1,4-7; Ps.119; 2 Tim. 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8
Rev. Denise Clark-Jones

We have finally come to the end of lectionary readings from Jeremiah. There are 23 more chapters, but I’ll leave you to discover them for yourself. The words we read are part of a segment of 4 chapters referred to as Jeremiah’s “Little Book of Consolation.” After hearing long expositions of Judah’s refusal to trust God’s guidance; chasing after false idols of worldly success; failure to treat one another with justice and mercy; and woeful tales of destruction and exile, Jeremiah delivers a message of hope. The exiles will return, their homes will be rebuilt, and most importantly, they will come to a better understanding of God’s laws. Throughout the history of the Jewish people, God had persistently called them to God’s self with steadfast love. Jeremiah proclaims they will one day in the future have the laws written on their hearts. In our gospel reading, we hear an example of how Jesus told parables to nurture the kind of understanding of God that would facilitate that transformation.

In the Scriptures Jesus knew, the Hebrew Bible, widows are important figures for teaching God’s particular concern for the most vulnerable in society. Along with orphans and aliens, meaning foreigners who enter into the communities of the Jewish people, widows were the most vulnerable in society. There was no Social Security, no life insurance, and she could not even inherit her husband’s estate, which went to his closest male relative. The widow in Jesus’ parable did not even have a male relative to stand up for her before the arbiter of justice. This widow stood up for herself because injustice was intolerable to her.  Like Tamar, Ruth, and Naomi, this widow wasn’t content to be cast aside and ignored.

Luke introduces Jesus’ parable as being about, “their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” Okay, it’s about prayer, that’s simple enough. What does Luke mean by the parable also being about ‘not losing heart?” Perhaps, Luke is referring to the kind of heart Jeremiah said God wanted ‘to write on our hearts.’ The parable speaks volumes about persistence in seeking justice. Looking at this parable in the context of the whole gospel you will see that Luke consistently portrays Jesus as a man who prays without ceasing and one who never backs down when faced with injustice. Jesus regularly seeks support and guidance from his “Father,” while also speaking truth to worldly power.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, widows are listed with orphans and aliens as those persons deserving special protection. True to Luke’s depiction of God’s kingdom breaking in to turn the worldly kingdom upside down, Jesus’ audience would have been shocked to hear a story about a woman, a widow at that, who had the chutzpah to speak up for herself before a judge in a court of law. It was the duty of a judge to be a peacemaker and the one who dispensed justice. Jesus’ audience would have been appalled at this leader’s failure to do his duty, as defined by God’s law in the Hebrew Scriptures. He was not only incompetent to serve in the position, but he also lacked compassion.

The Judge, the esteemed arbiter of justice has no interest in justice but yields to the widow because he is afraid.  The judge admits he has ‘no fear of God or respect for anyone.’ According to many biblical translators, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, uses a pugilistic analogy and, literally, says the judge’s reason for giving her what she asks is “if I don’t, she may give me a black eye.” We don’t know if that means a sullied reputation or a facial bruise. Whichever, it is not because of God’s law written on his heart, Thus, Jesus assures his disciples: ‘If that miserable example of a judge will give the widow justice, what do you think God, the creator of the universe and all the human children he loved into being, will do for you when your faith demands you stand against injustice?

So where is God in this parable? God is certainly not the judge! What if God is the widow, persistently calling us to ensure justice for those whose voice is being ignored or dismissed due to our lack of doing our job as Christian disciples? The God who has always wanted the law to be written on our hearts, wants us to pay attention to that law of love, particularly for those most deprived of their basic needs – the widows, the orphans, the foreigners, and those who are oppressed. These are the people who do not have the power to be heard, who are ignored or trampled over in the rush to secure the largest portions of God’s good gifts meant to be shared.

Today we are focusing a lot of attention on whether or not our leaders are doing their jobs with integrity and upholding the law of the land. We question whether or not they are acting with the values that are consistent with what we consider American values, particularly as codified in the U.S. Constitution.  Jesus’ parable shifts the focus to us. Are we going to be consistent with our Christian values? Are we going to stand up for justice? Or will we back down with excuses and dishonest rationalizations because, like the judge, we don’t want to be inconvenienced? Will we tell the victims of injustice to just “get over it” and settle for a society and a nation that devalues justice and dignity for all?

Jesus has told us seeking the kingdom of God requires persistence. The Apostle Paul repeatedly urged the new Christian congregations to be persistent in their faith despite the temptations and demands of worldly desires and powers. In the epistle reading for today, Paul is depicted as encouraging Timothy in his ministry. Timothy is told to remember the values his mother and grandmother taught him from God’s Word from the Hebrew bible. Jeremiah assured the Jews exiled to Babylon to be persistent in their hope that God would allow them to return to their homeland. God had been persistent in calling them back from their disobedience and failure to uphold justice. God, so persistent in love for the people of Israel, encouraged them to remain so faithful to God’s Laws that one day that law would become so essential to their identity and way of life that it would be as if it were written on their hearts.

Westminster knows something about being persistent.  Our remaining in this community and our continued mission to serve our neighbors in Peoria, particularly the most vulnerable, after the old church building burned in 1985 is a testament to Westminster’s persistence in worship and mission. Other churches, close to the downtown area, were moving to the suburbs; but Westminster rebuilt on the same site, near the poorest neighborhood in Illinois.

When we could not worship together during the Covid lockdown, we purchased the equipment needed to record and livestream our Sunday worship services so we could worship together on the internet and, hopefully, reach even more people. Christ has called us to continue on a course of persistent ministry.

When Jesus asks, what he will find when he comes again, saying: “And yet when the Son of Man comes will he find faith?”  He is not asking if there will be any church buildings left standing. He is asking if he will find people seeking justice by living in ways that entrust their lives to God, living under his sovereignty in their relationships with other people. Christ has called us to be the ones who work to bring God’s justice into reality through both our prayers and our work. I have heard it said: “We are to pray as though everything depends upon God and work as though God depends on us.”

In worship, our liturgies and songs of praise to God remind us that we are, foremost, under God’s authority, and by God’s grace, we have faith. We answer God’s call for repentance with our confessions. Our intercessory prayers, what is listed in your worship bulletin as “Prayers of the People,” nurture our trust in God and our desire to help our neighbors in need. Our presence in worship in the community is persistence in faith. When we spend time in prayer with other Christians, we seek transformation, not just in the world, but also within ourselves. We are opening our hearts to have God’s Word written upon them indelibly.

The Biblical scholar, Walter Brueggemann has said: “Persistence in conduct, in church teaching, and in prayer marks the church as a dissenter in a world of quick fixes.” As Christians, our baptismal promise is that we are in this church, practicing this faith, for the long haul – persistently, prayerfully – day by day by day.

Amen. May it be so!

© Rev. Denise Clark-Jones, 2022, All Rights Reserved
Westminster Presbyterian Church | 1420 W. Moss Ave. | Peoria, Illinois 61606
WestminsterPeoria.org  | 309.673.8501

“Throughout the week, there are many worldly things pulling me away from my commitment to God.  I come to church on Sunday at Westminster to reconnect and renew my relationship with Him.  Part of my worship is to ask him for forgiveness for my lack of faithfulness.  I leave, reminded that he loves me, forgives me, and walks beside me every day.  What a profound blessing that is!”