Luke 18:1-8
She’s a brave woman!
She single-handedly confronted the judge and demanded justice for the wrong done to her.
What we know about 1st Century Palestine, it was likely a monetary complaint … someone failed to fulfill an obligation, perhaps trying to take advantage of the widow, and who would care; she’s not likely to press her case – women don’t do that!
But to everyone’s surprise, she pushes ahead and pleads her cause … repeatedly, until the judge gives in and agrees to grant her justice.
She stays the course … and prevails.
Jesus tells this parable about our need to pray always, and never lose heart … not because God is some intractable judge to be worn down by our entreaties, but rather, just the opposite … if the judge could be moved, says Jesus, think how much more easily God is moved by the cries of His children.
Our prayers count … every prayer is heard and well-received … our prayers are a part of God’s mighty work … our prayers add to the well-being of the world … prayers offered in good faith, prayers for justice.
God will grant justice, says Jesus, and will do it quickly.
Jesus ends the parable with a question: When the Son of Man comes, will He find this kind of faith on earth?
The kind of faith portrayed in the woman who doesn’t give up … who seeks justice and doesn’t lose heart.
Faith that goes to bat for a better world.
Jesus said it of Himself to His hometown congregation:
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor (Luke 4:18ff)
To pray without ceasing … to never lose heart!
Several guys were trying to load a moving van, and they were arguing about which box ought to go in first, and while they were arguing, one of them said, “While you’re arguing, I’m going to pray.” And with that, he picked up one of the boxes and moved it into the van.
Practice what our words portray … faith is as faith does.
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
“That’s just a dream,” you say!
Yes, it’s dream … thank God for dreams … women and men who stand above the crowd and dare to dream …
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963
Speaking of dreams … Donna told me, "I dreamed last night that you gave me a pearl necklace for our anniversary. What do you think it means?"
"You'll know tonight," I said.
That evening, I came home with a small package and gave it to Donna.
Eagerly, she opened it to find a book entitled "The Meaning of Dreams."
We have our own special dreams …
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
That’s a gutsy dream … a dream worthy of our highest ambitions and our greatest endeavors … a dream worthy of a lifetime and then some … “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” …
The prophet Micah asks (Chapter 6):
“With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
The prophet answers the question with these stirring words:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
“Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.”
“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.”
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”
“Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.”
“Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
“Give and it will be given to you.”
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Dreams all over the place …
My brother recently had some medical tests, and we were anxious … counting the days until the reports were available … and then the phone call …
My brother and his wife were out at the time, so messages were left on their answering machine … two different calls from two different offices.
Bob & Carol got home, the little red light flashing … “you’ve got a message” … and there it was … “The reports are back, Mr. Eggebeen. It’s only a cyst; no malignancy. You’ve a clean bill of health.”
My brother said to me, “Tom, it takes a few days to recover from the anxiety … I left the messages on the answering machine; I play them every day, just to make sure they’re saying what they’re saying. I’ll leave them on the answering machine for a few more days.”
Dear Christian friends, what’s on your answering machine today? … what messages do you play and replay over and again? Messages of hope? Better days? Confidence and faith? God’s love for you and for all the world?
Keep those messages on your answering machine and play them every day:
Play it again, Sam – just to make sure it says what it says.
Someone asked me the other day, “How can we attract new members?”
The answer is simple: “Be an attractive church.”
Filled with faith, hope and love; grace, mercy and peace … filled with Christ and the Holy Spirit … filled with faithful words and kindly deeds.
A church with open doors, open windows, open minds … a church willing to let go of past certainties to embrace the creative uncertainties of the future.
Scripture, Christ, mission … a church on the road … a church in transition, never settled, always seeking … Jesus didn’t say, “Sit down with me!” He said, “Come and follow me!”
Praying constantly and never losing heart … praying for justice … praying the dream of a new world …
Filled with brave hearts … hearts in love with Christ, hearts straining forward to a new day …
A new day soon to be,
When the storm clouds are all past,
And the sun shines on a world that is free.
It’s hard to put this into words … so I think of people who live the dream … brave hearts who never give up.
I think of Mother Teresa - in spite of doubt and many a dark night, she labored humbly and patiently to relieve suffering in her beloved Calcutta.
I think of Gandhi who dreamed of freedom for his beloved India and held the British accountable to their own high ideals and taught his followers peaceful resistance.
I think of Martin Luther King, Jr, sitting in a Selma, Alabama jail cell, formulating plans and programs to help this nation realize it’s greatest dreams – We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
I think of film makers like Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney … who hold a mirror up to our soul … reveal our sins and remind us of our goodness.
I think of the Dalai Lama, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and just recently awarded our highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, which brings me to the prayer shawl I’m wearing - last evening, our Westminster Hall was filled with hundreds of Tibetans celebrating their dreams for a free Tibet – I stopped by, had a splendid time, and they surprised me with this prayer shawl and a book by the Dalai Lama.
I think of a friend now with Jesus … a Presbyterian pastor, who happened to be gay … ordained in the days of “don’t ask; don’t tell,” he fulfilled his calling, he lived faithfully with his partner for 17 years … with gentleness and humility, he helped folks understand that being gay is not some horrible crime against God … he helped folks open their Bibles and re-read the text to discover a different way of thinking about such things … he was a clear and convincing witness for Jesus.
I think of Billy Graham who quietly and forcefully integrated his Crusades … early on, in the deep south, going down the center aisle of the auditorium before the doors were opened – Graham took down the rope that divided white from black.
“The ground at the foot of the cross is level,” said Graham, “and it touches my heart when I see whites standing shoulder to shoulder with blacks at the cross.”
That’s the kind of faith this brave-hearted women lived until her cause was vindicated and justice done.
Will the Son of Man find this kind of faith on earth when He returns?
Of course He will … He will find this kind of faith all around the world, and right here, at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Brave-hearted women and men who dare to dream the dreams of God. Amen!
