Never Give Up
Luke 18:1-8
Over the last few Sundays we have looked at several parables from the gospel of Luke. Each has shown us the folly of interpreting the parables as allegory. Allegory is when you say something in the parable represents something else. In the parable for today, the temptation would be to cast the unjust judge in the role of God. Of course, twice Jesus says that the judge neither “feared God or cared about people” which doesn’t sound anything like the God we know. So if this parable is not an allegory how do we understand what it is trying to tell us? Well, the answer to that question – as we have learned over and over again – is usually found in the set up of the parable. “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Simple. The message of the parable concerns staying persistent in prayer and not giving up. In fact, the parable is actually portraying the unjust judge as the antithesis to God. Whereas the judge is unjust, God is just. Whereas the judge disrespects people, God equally respects.
Whereas the judge is concerned only for his own comfort (the nagging widow was wearing him out), God is found where human need is met and justice is dispensed with grace.
The other (bad) interpretation of this parable is that if you want something badly enough – no matter what it might be – simply bombarding God (i.e. wearing God down) will finally bring you the results you desire. What kind of God would we have if God has to be convinced to answer prayers, if having more people praying makes someone’s issue go to the head of the list? Do we really believe that is what God is about? Well, you might ask, why do we pray for people in church as a community? Why do we have an Internet prayer team? Those are not in place to convince God to do something good. They are in place to help us be a part of what God is doing when God does something good – using our hearts, our hands, our voices, our energy. Prayer is much more for our benefit than God’s.
Note that the persistence of the widow was persistence for justice. She was not praying about winning the lottery. It was not a prayer about getting the answers for the test that you hadn’t studied for. It was not about finding an escape out of the corner you’ve painted yourself into. If you want to be persistent in praying for something, pray for justice.
The scene described in this parable was one that no doubt many in Jesus’ audience had seen played out. There was a judge – the epitome of power, authority, and the ability to wield that power and authority over the lives of anyone he chose; and there is a widow – the epitome of vulnerability in that society. Widows in many cultures are often economically challenged and in many cases virtually powerless in the social system. It was certainly the case in our parable.
Prayer that is both persistent and faithful will have justice as its driving concern.
The message is clear to all of God’s children – we are to be persistent. We must never give up in praying for justice, for when that kind of prayer is part of our spiritual DNA we make the world a better place.
It is hard to do. It takes courage and faith. It requires backbone and guts, yet persistence pays off.
This past week we received a contribution from a woman in San Francisco through Pay Pal on our website. I always try to write a note of thanks to those who contribute to our work from outside our church. I received a wonderful message in return. Part of it I want to share with you this morning.
Dear Rev. Eknes-Tucker,
I received your letter of thanks for my recent contribution, and feel compelled to share with you one of the reasons for my gift…
[In] the mid 1980s, I was living as an (informally) emancipated youth in South Minneapolis, after having been ousted by my family of origin, who were less than pleased to discover my burgeoning lesbian identity. I experienced a period of homelessness, and then spent a number of years struggling to gain my footing, both emotionally and financially. In addition to lacking the family support that most teenagers take for granted, I was struggling with a medical disability that often impacted my ability to maintain steady employment.
Eventually I moved into a 2 bedroom apartment in Powderhorn Park, where my roommate and I split the total rent, a whopping $239. Inexpensive as it was, a higher than normal heating bill wiped out most of my earnings one month, and I found myself unable to come up with my portion of the rent payment. …it was the dead of winter, and it seemed that every known fund was pretty much tapped out. In a last ditch effort to preserve my housing, I called upon MCC for assistance. I was not a member of the parish, nor was I affiliated with the church in any other capacity. To my amazement, I was assisted with a gift of $75, which allowed me to meet my share of the rent owed, and keep my apartment.
I have never forgotten that generosity. For nearly a decade, I have been living in San Francisco, where vast numbers of people are unable to meet the inflated rent prices and end up living on the street. I am extremely fortunate to share more-than-adequate housing with my partner. I completed my Master's degree earlier this year, and am gainfully employed as a clinical social worker. I work at an inner city mental health clinic where my clients are struggling with severe mental illness, substance abuse and a host of other challenges; many of them are chronically homeless, or at risk of becoming so. Every day I am aware that I could easily have ended up on the other side of this desk where I now sit typing this letter.
My life has changed so drastically over the years, and sometimes I still cannot believe my good fortune. I know that I wouldn't be here, were it not for the help I received along the way. I am grateful to have the opportunity to give back some of what was given to me. Please accept my donation in that spirit, and continue to do the very important work that you do. It does make a difference. With sincerest thanks, Laura Goodspeed.
I love to get reminders like this of what this church is all about. Sometimes it seems like all the good that we do gets lost in all the other stuff that can occupy our time. We can spend so much energy putting out fires or making sure there is heat in the building or writing by-law amendments that the important work this church has done for decades of offering hope and healing for thousands can be marginalized in our own minds. That is why I believe we must live our lives persistently in prayer, persistently with our eyes on the goal of making this world a better place, persistently on providing opportunities of justice, hope, healing, and possibilities for those who come to us seeking. It means standing together to find common strength, but the message is this:
When you are feeling overwhelmed by the forces who hold sway in your life
NEVER GIVE UP
When you see others being abused by uncaring rules
NEVER GIVE UP
When you think you’ve hit a wall for the last time
NEVER GIVE UP
When hope seems to be fading like a sunset
NEVER GIVE UP
When your voice of justice is not being heard
NEVER GIVE UP
When those in power try to silence you with maneuvers and legal wrangling
NEVER GIVE UP
When everyone around you is getting tired
NEVER GIVE UP
When you feel like you can’t go on
NEVER GIVE UP
When you feel the tug of those old triggers
NEVER GIVE UP
When the song in your heart is growing faint
NEVER GIVE UP
When the poor are shut out from help
NEVER GIVE UP
When the old are forgotten in smelly institutions
NEVER GIVE UP
When closets suffocate and kill
NEVER GIVE UP
When politicians marginalize and divide
NEVER GIVE UP
When you think you’ve reached the limit of your will
NEVER GIVE UP
Never give up. Make your life be about justice. Make your life be about hope. Make your life be your prayer. That’s what this parable is talking about.
Sources:
www.homileticsonline.com Basking in Reflected Glory, October 2007