Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. Jesus said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, "Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow causes trouble for me, I will give her justice, so that she may not, in the end, give me a black eye’" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" The Gospel of the Lord.
Pray Always. Do not lose Heart.
“Pray Always. Do not lose heart.” Those are Jesus’ words to his disciples and us. Great advice. But it’s hard to do. It’s hard to “Pray Always.” And it’s hard not lose heart when bad things happen. And there are plenty of bad things that happen. It’s in the paper; TV; newsfeeds on your phone or computer; social media; Twitter. And sometimes bad news happens to us and to those we love. It is at those times that we really need to hear Jesus’ words: Do not lose heart.
I was a high school senior when my dad died. I had heard Jesus’ call to pray always. But, in the midst of my grief, the prayers that I learned as a child didn’t seem to work. After all, I had asked for healing. And it didn’t happen. Instead, the strongest man that I knew was suddenly gone. It was hard not to lose heart. I felt like I needed to pray – and didn’t know how. Up until then, everything in my life was pretty secure and I was able to believe people who said that “everything will be wonderful if you just pray.” But suddenly, that premise didn’t match my experience.
I asked my pastor for a book on prayer. I told him I didn’t want a sunny book of everything works out for good people kind of prayer book. I needed something heavier. So he gave me a big heavy academic book on the theory of prayer. That’s not what I needed either.
What I wanted to know about prayer was how to pray in a way that made sense, in a way that mattered, in a way that didn’t feel as if I was just talking to myself. In my search for the way to pray, I discovered that there isn’t just one way. The key is the same as it is when you are learning a new instrument, a language or a skill – in a word: practice. The way that I pray and the tools that I use change over time but the most important thing that I have learned is to “just do it” even if it feels like you are stumbling around in an awkward conversation. So… let’s just do it. Would you pray with me?
Jesus, you said that we should “Pray always” and not lose heart. Help us to be real, to be authentic when we talk with you, honest about our cares and concerns, and bold enough to turn our prayers to action for the sake of justice.” Amen.
Prayer can begin as simple conversation with God. It can be just talking to God – silently or aloud. God hears it either way.
Prayer can be written down – I have a journal that I write prayer concerns in. Writing doesn’t have to be formal – like the prayers we pray in church. But I find that often writing helps me to get the stuff in my head out – and then I can give it to God.
Prayer doesn’t have to be done by yourself. Prayer is even more powerful when concerns, praise and concerns are shared. Our prayer chain is one example. Our Contemplative prayer group is another. Prayer partners is another one. Sue Ferkingstad would be happy to sign you up for prayer for a child, a youth or a young adult if you don’t have someone to pray for already. Just let her know – or write it on your green sheet.
Prayer can be done using art – some people draw; other color; some play music or sing. All of these can be ways to pray.
Prayers can include silence. Contemplative prayer is the practice of taking time to intentionally listen for God’s voice in the midst of all of the busyness and hubbub of life. This can be helpful.
Tools can help. And there are a lot of tools available. There’s even an App for that. Just one warning – don’t try all of the tools at once. It can be overwhelming! I’m going to be sharing some prayer tools in the library after worship, so I won’t go into any more detail now. Just know this: God wants to hear your prayer.
God wants to hear your prayer. Really. It’s not because God doesn’t know what is going on in the world or in your life. But God wants to hear YOUR prayer and YOUR cares because God cares about YOU.
In Jesus’ day, widows were the least powerful adults in the community. They had no vote. They often had no income. They were dependent. Judges on the other hand, had a lot of power. Yet in his parable, the judge – who by his own admission, didn’t care about God or respect people – eventually does what is right for the widow. Why does he do this? The NRSV translation written in the bulletin reads “because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.' The widow sounds like a bit of a persistent nag. But the translation that I read, which is closer to the original Greek, makes the widow out to be not like a pesky fly but rather like a boxer. It reads: “because this widow causes trouble for me, I will give her justice, so that she may not, in the end, give me a black eye”.
Even though she was considered one of the least powerful people in the community, the widow, by her persistence and action – even to the point of not being polite – gets justice.
Now I think there are two take-aways from this parable. First of all, Jesus argues that if an unjust judge who doesn’t care about God or people is willing to give justice to a persistent widow, we can be assured that God, who is just and loving, will give you justice, love and care.
Oh there are times, when you, when I, wonder… God, are you listening? Could you do something here? But when justice and healing don’t come as quickly as you want or in the way that you want, know this: God has not forgotten you. God is still by your side.
And the second thing that Jesus is teaching his disciples and us is that he is not just encouraging us to wait patiently for God to act. Instead, he lifts up this widow as an example. I think that Jesus had a sense of humor. I mean, this was unfair fight right? Imagine: a petite little old lady and a great big football player sized judge. He has all the power. She has none. But… in that parable, that widow didn’t give up. She persevered. She was like a mama bear who was going to protect her cubs – no matter what. And in the end, it is the judge who is worried about getting a black eye – maybe not literally but he’s worried about his status and so gives her justice.
This is what Jesus is teaching his disciples and us to do. To persevere in prayer, to not lose heart, but instead to let that prayer lead you to action. Because prayer is not simply passive and it is not just one-way. The God who created you also entrusted you with gifts to use in this messed up world of ours.
One prayer book puts it this way: “Prayer is less about trying to get God to something we want God to do and more about getting ourselves to do what God wants us to do and to become who God wants us to be.”
Well then. Do not lose heart. Pray. Because God is listening and God wants to hear your cares and concerns and needs and God wants to empower you to act for the sake of justice.
Last week at worship, I invited people to write down a gift that God has given you. That’s a prayer. Today, I would like you to write down a need, a care, or a concern to share with God. This is a prayer too, a prayer God wants to hear.
Let us pray together: God of power and might, God of love who cares for the least of us, we lift up our prayers to you. Give us courage to follow where you lead, putting our trust in you and acting for the sake of the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church
October 20, 2019
1From Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Enuma Okoro
The Message I want the people to hear: Pray Always. Do Not Lose heart. Pray because prayer changes both you and the challenges you face; do not lose heart because God is with us, bringing justice and healing and wholeness to you and me and the world – but not on our timetable.