Sermon
20th October 2019 – 19th Sunday after Pentecost
Text:
Luke 18:1-8 – Persistent in prayer
Last
week saw a week of disruptions in the city, including other states around
Australia, and in fact around the world to demand what they call “climate
justice”.
Despite
the disruptions that it caused to many people going to work or going home from
work we are a society that respects people’s right to protest for justice.
Whether
it’s climate justice or justice in the work place or justice for persecuted
countries – protesting is a way to get our message across and hopefully to
bring about change.
Jesus
today tells a story about a widow who was demanding justice.
We
don’t know what sort of justice she was after but she went to the one whom she
knew could grant her the justice she needed.
We
don’t know what she was after but what we do know is that even though this
judge she went to didn’t fear God and had no respect for her or any human
being, he was the one who could grant the justice she needed.
Even
though she had no certainty whether he would listen to her or whether he would
grant her request, she knew that only he could do it.
Whether
he “would” wasn’t the issue – whether he “could” was the issue.
Jesus
tells this story as a way of encouraging us to remain confident in our prayer
life.
Maybe
sometimes we’ve prayed to God and nothing seems to have happened.
Jesus
says – keep praying.
The
difference between the judge in our story and God is God’s love for humanity.
This
judge had no fear of God and no respect for humanity.
In
our prayers it’s different – we pray to God and not only does God have respect
for humanity he has unconditional love for humanity.
He
created us.
He
loved us so much that he sacrificed his one and only Son to assure that we
would live with him in heaven.
So
if there is something we need, then God is certainly the one to whom our
requests should go.
Prayer
has always challenged people.
I
pray but I don’t see any results, is one that I often hear.
Sometimes
when people protest the results aren’t always seen or they don’t see the
results immediately.
Prayer
is communicating with God – both speaking to God and listening to God.
We
know that in any relationship that communication is how that relationship
grows.
I
speak with my wife – I listen to my wife.
We
don’t always agree on things but as we communicate we grow in our relationship
and in our understanding of each other.
That’s
how prayer works with God.
We
communicate with God – we speak with God – we listen to God.
We
don’t always agree on things but we work towards understanding each other.
Sometimes
God answers our prayer – sometimes God changes us to understand a certain
situation.
Like
St Paul in 2nd Corinthians.
Paul
had a suffering in his life that tormented him.
He
prayed to God to remove it.
He
prayed a second time to God to remove it.
He
prayed a third time and received an answer from God – but not in the way he had
requested.
Through
that time of prolonged prayer God worked with Paul in a way that while his suffering
didn’t change – Paul’s understanding changed.
Paul
grew to trust in God’s love and grace in his life for strength to cope with his
suffering.
Parents
have to deal sometimes in the same way with their children.
Children
can sometimes demand things from their parents which their parents know is not
in their best interest or for their wellbeing.
It
doesn’t mean they don’t love their child but it’s because they love their child
that sometimes as a parent we say “no” to those demands.
But
we’ll explain why and teach our children through that “NO”.
You
can’t have that biscuit because you’ll spoil your dinner.
You
can’t stay up because you need your sleep.
You
can’t go to that party because I’m not sure about the adult supervision.
They
may challenge that “no”, like the widow challenged the judges persistent “no”
to her request for justice.
They
may throw a tantrum and are especially good at choosing situations where they
know that tantrum will get maximum effect – like at the check-out in the
supermarket.
And
sometimes there’s some negotiations as the parent may even begin to learn that
their child is growing up and needs extended boundaries.
Maybe
a curfew is negotiated to allow the child to stay up later.
And
this is what persistent prayer to God can be about.
Prayer
is about growth.
Growth
in us as we grow in our trust in God.
But
also growth in God’s understanding of our needs.
God
is not a genie whose bottle we can rub every time we want something.
God
is our loving Father who cares for us and loves us like no one has ever loved
us.
God
only wants the best for us and sometimes God says “no” to our requests.
Or
sometimes, even though God has said no he has later said yes.
Prayer
is a special gift of God that enables us to get to know him better.
But
even more important than that, prayer is an opportunity that enables us to get
to know ourselves better.
If
God said yes to everything we asked then how would we ever develop and grow.
Can
you imagine if every time a child asked a parent for something they got it – we
would probably have a very spoilt child on our hands and one who never matures.
So
here we have an opportunity through prayer with God to develop ourselves and
develop our relationship.
In
the story Jesus told we also see that through the persistence in prayer that
the unmerciful judge finally changed and showed her mercy.
So
in prayer there is also an opportunity for God to grow in his understanding and
relationship of us.
I
know that to many that might sound strange, or even wrong – but that’s what
Jesus has asked us to do.
And
we have many examples in the bible where God did just that.
Abraham
was able to convince God that wiping out a whole town because of a few was
wrong.
The
people of Nineveh were able to convince God that people can change their lives
without him destroying them.
Moses
was able to convince God that destroying all the people of Israel because of
their disobedience was not a good look to the surrounding nations.
God
is not some autonomous unfeeling overlord who is sitting up above with no care
for the people of this earth.
No,
Jesus says that God knows the very hairs of our head.
But
neither is God some genie who is at our beckoning.
God
is our creator.
God
is our Heavenly Father.
God
cares for us and wants the best for us – and he wants the best from us.
But
the best for us comes by our lives growing in our trust in God – by our
relationship with God growing.
We
don’t always understand everything that goes on in our lives and in the lives
around us.
But
neither does a child always understand and accept the decision of their
parents.
But
they learn to trust that their parents love them and want the best for them and
they learn to trust in them.
That’s
what Jesus is wanting to teach us in this story.
If
an unmerciful and uncaring judge can eventually come around and give this widow
what she needs – how much more will a loving, caring Father graciously give to
us all that we need.
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