Pray Always and Don’t Lose Heart

In the Gospel reading for next Sunday (Luke 18:1-8) Jesus tells a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow seeking justice. Although the reading does not tell us who the widow’s ‘opponent’ is, it does remind us that God hears the cries of his chosen ones who cry (in faith) to him day and night. Interestingly, at the end of the reading he asks, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

I think many people can relate to the widow’s plight of feeling ignored by the judge who really had no concern for her problem, and as the reading tells us, no respect for people, in general. His only reason for helping her was to keep her from continually ‘bothering’ him. If you’ve ever had a bad customer service experience where you felt that the only goal of the company in question was to get off the phone with you, you can relate to her plight. This kind of frustration can and should lead a believer to pray more often. However, it’s the second part of verse one that is more difficult to do than the admonition to “pray always”: Don’t lose heart! In a world so full of injustice and division it is easy to “lose heart.” The Luke reading says that the parable is about the disciples’ “need to pray always and not lose heart.” One would assume that all disciples (that’s US) also need to pray always.

The first song that we will sing during communion this Sunday is based on the Luke 18 reading and is titled “Jesus Describes a Forceful Woman”. The text was written by The Rev. Michael Hudson (1950-2024), who was the rector at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cullowhee, N

C. He paired this text with a tune from The Hymnal 1982 that we already know and sang recently: Hymn 635 “If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee”. It is interesting that both texts relate to our trusting God and turning to him because he is our only true source of help. You’ll get to sing the text this Sunday, but I thought you might want to read and ponder it beforehand. It is a powerful text that I hope will remind us of our great protector and helper who uses us to bring about the justice of his kingdom.

Peace,

John

Jesus Describes a Forceful Woman

Jesus describes a forceful woman, a widow who refused to bend before a judge,

a man of power, whose judgments worked to no good end:

she knew that she had power, too, and trusted in the strength she knew.

And day by day she spoke for justice, and word by word injustice waned

until impassive will relented, and her impassioned faith remained:

believing God would make a way, she found the grace that faith conveys.

Now we, observing, are invited to recollect what faith can gain when faithful

people are undaunted and hope, in conflict, is sustained:

as we, like she, wield stubborn trust, God comes to move the world through us.

Words: The Rev. Michael Hudson (1950-2024): © by the author. All rights reserved. Used by permission.