Persistent Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, so he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean." "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" As if he hadn't heard, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he turned, smiled and said, "It made a difference to that one!"

If I were to use one word to describe this man who was saving the starfish I would use the word persistent.  He knew the job of saving the starfish was a huge task, but he kept right on doing it.  He wanted to make a difference and he did just that.  He knew he couldn’t save them all, but with his persistent attitude he could still make a difference in the lives of some of them.

The same word could summarize our Gospel lesson today.  In order to illustrate the need to pray always Jesus uses the story of this persistent widow.  Jesus wants our prayer life to reflect the persistence of this widow.  Jesus wants our prayer life to be persistent.  He wants us to continually come to him in prayer.  Our persistence in prayer should get to point of almost being bothersome or annoying to God, like this widow was to the judge.  Even though we will never be bothersome or annoying to God.

Jesus also says that this parable should illustrate our need to never lose heart.  That exemplifies true persistence.  Like the persistent widow this is prayer that never stops and even though it is not answered the way want in the timing we would like it just keeps going.  The persistent widow never gives up.  She just keeps continually coming to the judge day in and day out asking for justice.  Sure, she gets annoying and bothersome.  Yet, she never loses heart.  His refusal never gets to her.  It never makes her stop and reconsider her persistence.

Now remember prayer is not just about us and our wants.  Prayers that are self-centered, concerned only with petty issues, or irrelevant must take the back seat.  Prayers like this do not take the power of prayer seriously.  Prayer is about our needs.  Prayer is also about other people.  It is meant to make us look outward, outside of ourselves, for the other people in our world who need us to intercede in prayer on their behalf.  So much happens in our world that needs prayer.  Things happen close by, in our communities and neighborhoods.  Things also happen far away to people who we have never met and will never know.  These are the people on whose behalf we are called to be persistent prayer warriors.

Often in parables we can make the claim that if God does this for this person, then how much more will God do for us.  In this parable we could make the claim that if the persistent widow is granted justice by this judge, then how much more will God grant us justice if we too are persistent?  If we believe that claim to be true then we must be persistent in our prayer life on behalf of others and for ourselves.

Be persistent as you pray for countries at war.

Be persistent as you pray for people with illness.

Be persistent as you pray for children who are sold into slavery and tortured.

Be persistent as you pray for ranchers after this storm.

Be persistent as you pray for countries amidst political unrest and violence.

Be persistent as you pray for those who received a lot of damage from the storm.

Be persistent as you pray for the people involved in recent vehicle accidents.

Be persistent as you pray for families involved in house fires.

Be persistent as you pray for people that are hungry.

Be persistent as you pray for countries without clean drinking water.

Be persistent as you pray for our neighbors near and far.

Be persistent as you pray for those who are regarded as unimportant.

Be persistent as you pray for those who are powerless.

Be persistent as you pray for those who are alone.

Be persistent as you pray for the leaders of our nation and our military.

Be persistent as you pray for our congregation.

Be persistent as you pray for yourself and your family.

That list is not even the tip of the iceberg for our prayer life.  And at times it can feel just a little too daunting.  Those are the times when even though we are trying to be persistent, we still can’t do it.  Yes, there are times when it gets too difficult to pray for this broken world.  Know this, when you stop persisting in prayer, God will continue to be persistent.  God will continue to put people in our lives so that we can know the presence of God.  When we can’t reach out to God, God will reach out to us.  Because that is who our God is – a persistent God.  So, be persistent as you pray to our persistent God and never lose heart.  Amen.

Blizzards, Lepers and Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19

            Jesus was traveling through South Dakota.  As he entered the village of Rapid City, ten families that had been stuck in a blizzard without power for three days approached him.  They called out “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  When he saw them he said “Go talk to the power company.”  And as they went on their way their power was restored.  Then one family, when they saw that the power was restored to their home, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  They all lay down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.  And they were nonbelievers.

Talk about good timing with this parable!  I think in the past week we have all had a moment of thankfulness or gratitude after that blizzard.  For some it was having power restored and for others it was the sound of running water.  For some it was being rescued from their car or home.  For others it was having their car plowed out.  For some it was finding that some of their herd of livestock had survived the storm.  For me as a people person and an extrovert, someone who gains energy from being around others, it was finally seeing people again.  At that moment I was so thankful and grateful to God that I had survived the blizzard and that I could be back around the people that gave me energy.  I would imagine that you had a similar moment of gratitude and thankfulness this week after blizzard Atlas.

That gratitude and thankfulness is a lesson to be learned in our text today from Luke.  There are ten lepers.  Lepers had a skin disease that was highly contagious, so they were cast out of their families and out of their homes.  They were sent out of the camp or community to live with other lepers, so no one else would catch their disease.  If they were healed of their leprosy they needed to go to the priest, who was the only one who could certify that they were now clean and could return to their community. 

            So when Jesus came through their village they called out in loud voices asking Jesus to heal them, to have mercy on them.  Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest and as they went they were made clean.  Then one of them recognized the miracle healing that had just happened.  And he recognized who it was who had just sent them to the priest and who it was who had healed them.  So he decided to return to Jesus.  He praised God and then lay down in front of Jesus feet and thanked him for making him clean.

            This leper-made-clean was a Samaritan.  Remember that Samaritans were unbelievers.  They were outsiders.  Regardless, this man knew what had just happened and he was overwhelmed with thanksgiving and infused with a sense of gratitude.  He knew he needed to give thanks and praise to the one who had made him clean.  On that day the Samaritan leper received more than he ever dreamed he was asking for when he and his fellow lepers asked Jesus to have mercy on them.  He received a second blessing by Jesus.  Because he had returned, Jesus gave him one more blessing saying, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”  An even better translation of the Greek would be “your faith has saved you.”  Yes, Jesus provides salvation for this Samaritan – this nonbeliever.  Even though he was a Samaritan Jesus blesses him, loves him and saves him, just the way he is.

            But what about the other nine lepers that were made clean that day?  What happened to them?  Why didn’t they return to Jesus to say “thank you”?  Now, I am not sure that they did anything wrong.  They did what Jesus said.  They went to show themselves to the priest.  After all, Jesus didn’t tell them to make sure to come back and say thank you.  So they had followed directions and done what Jesus had told them to do.  According to the text, they did not give public verbal thanks for their blessing.  We don’t know if they gave thanks in private, maybe without even using any audible words.

            The one leper, the Samaritan, was able to receive the blessing that Jesus had given him, recognize it and give thanks for it.  That is a powerful thing.  Those two little words pack a powerful punch – “thank you.”  They mean a lot when we say them and when we have them said to us.  Thanksgiving is born out of our perception, our ability to recognize a blessing.  It is also created from articulation, our ability to put words around our gratitude.

            So, what?  How can this text intersect with our life?  For starters, we have plenty to be thankful for in our daily lives.  All too often, we take that for granted.  So be thankful.  Be thankful for a roof over your head and clothing on your back.  Be thankful for hot water and electricity.  Be thankful for health and life.  Be thankful for money in the bank and in your wallet.  Be thankful for food to eat and water to drink.  Most of all be thankful that you are a loved and forgiven child of God.

This text can also apply to our lives because we are lepers of sorts.  Now I don’t mean we have a skin disease, but we are infected with the disease of sin.  We need to be made clean.  We need to call out “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”  Then we need to allow the power that Jesus has to forgive our sins to soak into those sinful places of our lives.  Through the waters of baptism, the bread and wine of communion, and the words of confession and absolution we are offered forgiveness. 

And in response to the forgiveness we are granted and all the good gifts that are bestowed on us we need to have the perception to recognize the blessing that has just happened.  Then we put articulation with that and put words around the deep gratitude we have for our Savior, that he would forgive us our sins, love us, provide for us and save us.  Today Jesus says to you and to me, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has saved you.”  What is your response?  Amen.

Jesus: The Unjust Steward

           Luke 16:1-13

           Have you seen the story that is circulating about Joey Prusak?  He isn’t a big name or anything, but lately he has been pretty popular because of a choice he made.  Joey works at a Dairy Queen in Minnesota.  Recently one of his frequent guests came into the store, a man who is blind.  He took out his wallet to pay and dropped at $20 bill.  A woman behind him in line quickly picked it up and put it in her purse.  So, Joey asked her to return the money.  She wouldn’t and claimed it was hers.  Joey then refused to serve her.  That is not why the story has been circulating though.  The story is popular because of what happened next.  Since the lady would not return the money, Joey opened his wallet and gave the man a $20 bill.  Joey made a good choice.  A choice that has gotten him recognition he probably never expected to receive.

Life gives us many choices.  We make decisions all the time.  Should I go out to eat or go home and cook?  Should I watch this channel or this other one?  Should I go to this event or this other one?  Should I be a member in this group or this other one?  Should I pay this bill or this other one?  Should I stay at this job or should I take another one?

Our parable today includes two decisions.  The first one is made by the manager.  The manager, upon finding out that he is going to be fired, makes a decision to reduce the debts of the debtors so that when all is said and done he will not be rejected by the community.  In doing so, the debtors likely have respect and appreciation for the manager.  So, when he is out of a job, they might be willing to help him out.  The debtors also likely have some appreciation for the owner, too.  They don’t know that this gift of debt reduction has come only from the manager.  Both the manager and the owner are in good positions, because of the manager’s shrewd behavior.

So, is this parable saying that lying, cheating, and being dishonest are desirable characteristics to have?  No.  This point is actually much bigger than that.  Remember, Jesus, as is typical, is hanging out with all the wrong people in all the wrong places, according to the standards of the world.  He is eating with sinners, looking for lost things, and telling parables about celebrating when the prodigal son comes home after squandering the inheritance.  Jesus doesn’t fit the norm and he never will.  So Jesus uses this story to illustrate a point.  Part of his point is that in God’s economy people are more important than profits.  Jesus is willing to risk the stare and the gossip about who he is hanging out with, because he knows that people are most important, regardless of who they are.  The same is true of the manager.

Now for the second decision, which is up to us.  The text ends with “You cannot serve God and wealth.”  No, you can’t have two masters.  There cannot be two entities that have ultimate control and authority in your life.  So here we have another choice.  Serve God or serve money?  Remember in making this decision you are not choosing to never use money.  Let’s be honest we use money all the time.  We just can’t make it our “god.”  We cannot give money the ultimate authority in our lives.  We can use it for the good of others, though.  We can let our money be used in ways that would be pleasing and acceptable to God.  In doing so we will be giving back to God, what first belonged to God.  Really everything we have is on loan from God.

We can support Kids Against Hunger next Sunday as we use our hands to do God’s work, by packing meals that feed people both near and far.  We can sign up to adopt a family for the Christmas Servant Event.  We can bring Jello salad or bananas for the meal at Cornerstone.  We can support our congregation and the ministry partners we highlight each month.  Our money can be used to serve God.

If we dig deep in this parable we can also see that the manager is choosing to serve God.  So what can we learn from the manager’s choice?  Often in parables you can find one of the characters portraying Jesus.  The unjust steward or the shrewd manager in this parable could also be seen as a Christ-figure.  The manager enacts grace, by offering a reduction of debts.  Similarly to Jesus, the manager dies and rises, only in the case of the parable that death and resurrection is metaphorical-losing his job and finding a way to bounce back from unemployment.  Then in his dying and rising he raises others, like Jesus, giving new life to those around him-by reducing their debts.  One author puts it this way, Jesus “became sin for us sinners, weak for us weaklings, lost for us losers, and dead for us dead.”  That is true in this story and in the entire Jesus story.

Let me retell today’s parable with a few different words, a slant that will hopefully allow you to see the presence of a Christ figure, one that is a bit hidden at first glance.  There was an owner who had a manager.  That manager was entrusted with the responsibility to run the business on earth, because the owner lived far away.  The manager was the best and brightest.  He was the owner’s creation.  He had the owner’s best interests in mind.  One day the owner was alerted that the manager was squandering the property.  The manager was misusing his power.  This was going to get him in trouble.  So, the manager decided to be clever and reduce the debts owed to the master.  This would ensure that he had followers after he lost his job.  So the manager set out to meet with the debtors.  The manager said to the woman who had cheated on her husband several times, “You have sinned much and owe much to the owner, but I will forgive the debt.”  Then the manager said to the man who had lied to the governing authorities, “You have sinned much and owe much to the owner, but I will forgive the debt.”  The manager said to the kid who had stolen a candy bar, “You have sinned much and owe much to the owner, but I will forgive the debt.”  He continued in this manner, forgiving the debts of many sinners.  After offering forgiveness verbally, his generosity had him killed.  Soldiers nailed him to a cross, where he gave his very blood for the forgiveness of the debts of everyone.  “For there is one God, there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all.”  In giving his life as a ransom, he showed the world what is the most important choice to make – serving God by being in relationship with others, because the debts have already been paid through grace.  Choose God, because God already chose you.  Amen.

Lost and Found

Luke 15:1-10

            Like the lost sheep, I have been lost.  I have taken wrong turns and went the wrong way in a new place, but none of them were quite like the first time my mom and I traveled east for my first year of seminary.  Our goal for our first day of driving was to make it from Watertown to just outside of Chicago.  It was later in the evening when we arrived in the Chicago area.  This was the first big city driving I had ever done, and now we were doing it in the dark.  The car was loaded down and we were sick of driving.  This was before I owned a GPS, actually before they were very popular.  We had printed maps off of the computer to follow on our trip.  Somehow we took the wrong turn and instead of traveling around the city on a bypass road we went right through the heart of the city.  We were lost.  We were tired.  We were getting crabby.  We were hungry.  We just wanted to be at our hotel, but here we were lost in Chicago.  Unfortunately printed out maps are not very helpful in situations like this.  There is no “you are here” spot on the map.  Unlike a GPS they never recalculate.  I don’t really remember how or what got us out of this predicament, but I know there was much rejoicing when we arrived at the hotel for the night.

            Like the woman who lost a coin, I have on many occasions lost important items.  Last fall I had purchased a new headlamp.  I remembered taking my headlamp to Outlaw Ranch, where I had let Allen use it one evening.  I thought he had given it back, but months later I still couldn’t find it.  I asked him if he remembered giving it back to me or if it might still be at camp.  I was so frustrated with myself for losing my headlamp.  After months of searching I had finally decided it was lost forever.  Then, while I was at camp this summer I reached deep into a rarely used pocket of my suitcase and there was my headlamp.  The lost was found and there was much rejoicing.

            It is likely that you have been lost at one point or another in your life.  You have taken a wrong turn or traveled to a new place.  You have pulled out the map or asked for directions and found your way home.  And upon finding your way out of being lost you have rejoiced.  Or you have likely lost an important possession.  Misplaced your money or your keys.  You have searched high and low to find said possession.  And upon finding the item that was lost you have rejoiced.

            We see and hear announcements of lost things all the time.  There are announcements of lost children and parents at the grocery store.  There are signs for lost dogs stapled to light poles and street signs.  There are lost purses and lost keys.  Living in a tourist area there are often lost people.  In all of these situations of lost-ness there is often much rejoicing that happens when the lost is found.

            In these situations of lost-ness there is almost always someone doing the seeking.  If we look back at our parable in Luke we have a shepherd actively seeking the one lost sheep, from the herd of one hundred.  We also have a woman who is actively seeking the coin that she has lost, from the collection of ten.  Jesus is using metaphor here in the form of the shepherd and the woman.  Using these two common, everyday situations with normal, everyday people he intends to tell us about God.  God is like a shepherd who when he loses one sheep from the flock of one hundred, leaves behind the others to search for the one.  God is like a woman who when she loses one coin from the collection of ten, lights a lamp and sweeps the house until she finds the one.  Then upon finding the lost sheep or the lost coin God rejoices over what was once lost, but now has been found.

            The metaphor goes even further though.  It is not just about God being like a shepherd searching for a lost sheep or a woman searching for a lost coin.  The metaphor also includes us.  We are the lost sheep.  We are the lost coin.  We are that important to God.  God would leave behind the other ninety-nine to find us.  God would light a lamp and sweep the house in search of us.  God believes that each one of us that important.  So important that we are worth finding.  And so important that once God finds us we are worth rejoicing over.

            God’s way of rejoicing isn’t small and insignificant, either.  God is throwing a big party when the lost are found.  God is throwing a big celebration of rejoicing because we have been found.  If God is like the shepherd then upon finding one lost sheep he brings the whole herd of 100 back to the farm and invites over all the friends and relatives for a party.  If God is like the woman then upon finding one lost coin, a tenth of her wealth, she invites the neighbors over for a celebration, likely spending part of her money to have such a party.  I don’t think shepherds or women of low class usually acted like that.  It would be atypical for them to throw such a celebration to rejoice over what had been found.  That is how God is though.  God’s way of rejoicing is out of the ordinary and unusual. 

            So when we take the wrong turn in life and wander away from the flock, God will come searching.  When we are lost like a coin and need to be swept up, God will be there.  When we are lost and in need of being found, God will be actively looking for us.  And upon finding us God will invite the neighbors over and throw a celebration of rejoicing that is ridiculous and atypical, because the lost has been found.  Because, we, we are worth that much to God.  Amen.