Weekly Reflections and Sermons to Inspire Your Faith Journey

Sermon: Proper 24C Luke 18:1-8 Trouble and despair

I've been wondering lately-- why do we have this three-year cycle of lessons and scriptures in church? Year A, Year B, and Year C. We call it the liturgical cycle. Why do we have to say the same prayers every Sunday? Why do we always have the offertory, share the peace, and take communion-- every Sunday? Why do we keep doing the same things, week after week? Repetition.

It becomes such a routine that most of us know RiteII by heart, right? We repeat rites, words, and liturgical signs -- over and over again.

But why? Couldnt we do something different every Sunday? Yes, and we do.

Well, think about this: there are four Gospels in the Bible-- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Four stories, one Gospel. Repetition again!

So maybe repetition in the church isn't about boredom-- it's about persistence. Because one of these days, one of the words we say, one of the prayers we offer, one of the signs we make-- might transform our lives forever.

Persistence in Prayer

Have you ever prayed and actually receieved an answer? Wonderful! That's a blessing. And how about when you've prayed and despaired of an answer? Have you ever gone through tough times that felt like they would never end? Have you ever felt that you were at the end of your rope?

Have you ever wondered if God cares?

I remember when I was in seminary, making all sorts of mistakes in chapel, and I wondered -- does God really care about my faults there? Or when I was physically present but my mind was somewhere else-- did God still care?

Yes.

And today's Gospel-- the Parable of the Wicked Judge and the Persistent Widow-- is for me and for each and every one of us.

It's a parable of promise.

It promises that God is here.

It promises that God cares.

It promises that God answers prayer.

I don't think God cares how many times we get the liturgy wrong. He cares that we are here-- even if only physically-- because He has hope in us. And one day, through repetition and persistence, God's grace will transform our lives.

Because God Himself is persistent. He keeps inviting, and entering our lives.

All we have to do is keep going-- even when it feels routine, even when we don't feel anything at all.

We're not here to feel something; but when we do, that's grace and wonderful. Through persistence and perserverance, God promises to listen, to vindicate those who continue to pray-- through the good times and the bad, through hope and through heartbreak.

Mother Teresa and the Lawyer

There's a true story about Mother Teresa of Calcuta that captures this perfectly. Years ago, she visited Edward Bennett Williams, a famous Washington D.C. lawyer, to ask for help building a hospice for AIDS patients.

Williams already knew why she was coming, and he wasn't interested. He planned a polite but firm refusal and even practiced it before she arrived.

Mother Teresa came in, made her appeal, and Williams said, "I'm sorry, Mother, but I can't help you." Mother Teresa smiled and said, "Let us pray."

So they prayed. After the prayer she asked again-- same request, same words. Williams again refused. Mother Teresa said, "Let us pray."

Williams rolled his eyes, but what could he do? He bowed his head again. After the second prayer, she asked again. Finally, Williams threw up his hands and said, "All right! All right!" and pledged his support. That's persistence.

In today's Gospel, Jesus praises the widow's persistence in seeking justice, and He assures us that when we act out of love, the Spirit of God will be with us-- giving us the words, the courage, and the strength to persevere.

Faith in Daily Life

We see the same kind of persistence all around us: In parents who keep loving their children despite the messes that make. In couples who refuse to quit on each other but work to heal their marriages.

In quiet, faithful people who keep showing up-- doing their work not for praise, and because it matters. Jesus honors that kind of persistence-- the conviction that what is right, what is just, what is of God-- must prevail.

Three Promises of the Parable

I began this sermon with a few questions:

Have you prayed and despaired of an answer?

Have you gone through tough times that seemed endless?

Have you ever felt at the end of your rope?

Have you ever wondered if God cares?

If your answer is "Yes," this parable is for you--and for me.

It give us three promises:

1) We can count on your loving God to do the right thing by you.

2) Persistent prayer keeps us close to God-- it strengthens our faith and helps us endure the hard times.

3) God really, truly cares.

A Healing Story

I remember a man who had prostate cancer. He came to every healing service, even as he grew weaker. He asked for anointing with holy oil every time. His body failed him, and his faith did not.

People around him sometimes complained about his frailty, his smell, his weakness-- and he kept coming, kept praying, kept kneeling.

Then one day, he stopped coming. Everyone expected news of his death.

Weeks later, a well-dressed man appeared at the healing service. No one recognized him.

After receiving the anointing, he turned to the others and called them all by name.

They were astonished. "How do you know us?" they asked. He smiled and said, "At coffee hour. Jesus is my healer. He is my doctor, now and forevermore."

That was the same man-- he had been healed, transformed by persistence, faith, and the grace of God.

We possess a faith that gives us hope and courage-- a faith that enables us to persevere through despair, ridicule, hatred, and even evil; Our God is persistent. She shows up when least expected, he keeps inviting us to follow him, and he keeps on blessing us every day.

Even if we refused to listen.

And he calls us to be persistent too. Let us pray: I Asked God for Strength

I asked God for strength that I might achieve; I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I aked for help that I might do greater things; I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy; I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I was given nothing that I asked for; And everything that I had hoped for.

Despite myself, my prayers were answered; I am, among all people, most richly blessed. Amen.

Fr. Martinez+