Sermon for Sunday August 30th, 2009

Praying without Losing Heart by Sheila Crowe

Luke 18:1-18:8

A young man went into a drugstore to buy 3 boxes of chocolate: small, medium, and large. When the pharmacist asked him about the three boxes, he said, “Well, I’m going over to a new girlfriend’s house for supper. Then we’re going out. If she only lets me hold her hand, then I’ll give her the small box. If she lets me kiss her on the cheek, then I’ll give her the medium box. But if she really lets me smooch seriously, I’ll give her the big box.” He made his purchase and left.

That evening as he sat down at dinner with his girlfriend’s family, he asked if he could say the prayer before the meal. He began to pray, and he prayed an earnest, intense prayer that lasted for almost five minutes. When he finished his girlfriend said, “You never told me you were such a religious person.” He said, “And you never told me your dad was a pharmacist!”

It’s a good thing to pray–whatever the circumstances! According to many public opinion polls, prayer is very important to Americans. In 2000 the Gallup organization found 90 percent of Americans pray. 86 percent said they believed in God–isn’t it interesting more people pray than claim to believe in God? 83 percent said they favor prayer at graduation exercises. 70 percent favor Christian prayers spoken in school.

The problem with prayer is in getting the answer or should I say in not getting an answer. Some people pray for their church that it might prosper, deepen and grow in faith while they watch it slowly wither away or die on the vine. Some of us pray that the spot on the X-ray will disappear only to hear the devastating prognosis that there is only a short time left. Some of us pray for our children for that they might find joy and purpose in life and yet they struggle to fit in, struggle to make ends meet, struggle to find their way. We pray for peace but war rages on taking our precious sons and daughters. We pray for comfort for the lonely and grieving who are still struggling in the dark of the night. And so we begin to lose our confidence, trust and hope that our prayers will be heard and answered. We lose heart.

Jesus had just talked to his disciples about the coming death, his return and the coming of the Kingdom of God. He had told them things wouldn’t happen exactly as they thought. That they would long for his return and that things might not be so good for them while they waited. He knew it would be a challenging time for them and they would be tempted to quit praying. And so Jesus told them this parable that they might pray always and not lose heart.

The story that Jesus told his disciples was about an absolutely horrible judge. This judge hated people and he hated God. He didn’t go to church and he refused to give to the United Way. He’s the kind of corrupt judge who makes a mockery out the title “Your Honor.”

Unfortunately, appearing in his courtroom was a poor widow who needed justice but had nothing. She had absolutely nothing. She had no money, she had no husband, she had no standing, she had no power, she had nor resources, she had nothing. She was so insignificant, she probably couldn’t have gotten justice in a good courtroom with a good judge, but here she was in the courtroom of the worst judge in the land.

Now, did I say that she had nothing? That’s not quite accurate. She did have one thing. She had the capacity to be a pest, to annoy. And, when you only have one weapon, you use it. So she annoyed this judge constantly. She yelled out in his courtroom: “Give me justice! Give me justice! Give me justice!” She banged on his chambers doors, “give me justice! Give me justice! She filled his telephone answer machines with messages…give me justice! Give me justice! She stood beside the ball washer on hole #9 at the country club where the judge was teeing off, give me justice give me justice. She twittered him on his blackberry…G-i-v-e-j-u-s-t-i-c-e, give me justice give me justice.

Bill Cosby once said that when a child whines “he took my truck make him give it back to me” the child naively assumes that the parent is interested injustice. Only Cosby says parents are interested in justice they only want quiet. And so it was with the judge.

The judge clamps his hands over his ears and laments what am I to do this woman is driving me nuts. I hate G-d. I hate humanity. I don’t give a spit about this widow’s problems. I know I just give the old hag her justice to get her out my hair…and this is the inspiring story that Jesus told!

What are we suppose to learn from this story? Is G-d like that crooked Judge? Does He have to be pestered and coerced before He will answer your prayers? After all the Lord did tell us to listen to what the unjust Judge says. “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?” After all this miserable judge at the end of the day did provide justice. Maybe we that’s what we are suppose to understand out of this story. That despite the headlines everyday where the wall street greed causes the market to bounce and dive, where politicians take bribes and where southern governors who stand for family values end up hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Argentina…Maybe we are suppose to see and understand that these headlines, these people don’t own the world after. God does and he rules over it and overrules those people in the world. That built into creation is a propensity for justice that will prevail.

A NY time writer tells a story about going to a NY Yankees game and sitting out in left field. A dad and his young son come down aisle looking for the seat. The young boy is obviously excited about the game, twisting and turning looking at everywhere at once. In his hand is a weathered catchers glove. The boy sits down eagerly watching the game with his glove on his hand ready to catch any foul ball that might come his way. Sure enough in the bottom of the sixth ending a ball is fouled and it is headed right toward the young boy. The boy stretches out to grab the ball but instead a guy in his thirties wearing horn rim glasses at the last moment reaches over the boy and snags the ball. For a moment the crowd is silent as old horn rims stuffs does a little dance and then stuffs the ball in his pocket. Then someone in the crowd begins to yell. Give the kid the ball, give the kid the ball. And in a few minutes others join in the chant, Give the kid the ball. Give the kid the ball. Soon others join in, even those who didn’t even know what was going on were yelling, Give the kid the ball. Then a rather burly looking man wearing one of those shirts with the sleeves cut out of them so you could see his bulging muscles comes down out of the stands and talks to old horn rims. It isn’t too long after that that horn rim finally walks down and hands the ball over to the young boy. The crowd cheers.

And then a another foul ball comes out into left field and man catches it walks over and gives it to horn rim. And then another foul ball is caught and given to the young boy who now has two balls and leaves the stadium with glee in his step. The writer wrote that day even the most jaded New Yorker went home feeling good that a sense of justice still exists in the world. Maybe that is what we are suppose to get from this parable.. that the world is ruled by a sovereign G-d who rules us toward justice no matter what!

While I believe that is part of the story, I don’t believe that is all of it. Otherwise the moral of this parable would be cheer up things aren’t as bad as they seem; but, Luke said the moral of the story was always pray without losing heart.

So maybe we need to look at the story from the widow’s point of view. She was a feisty character pounding away at the door of justice crying out, Give me justice, give me justice. The word here that is translated “she kept coming to him” is a boxing term meaning to pummel. Maybe that’s the way God wants us to pray pummeling the doors of heaven with our wants. We have seen examples of it in the world today. People who had no power pounding out give me justice shouting we shall overcome and bringing justice into a corrupt world.

Edward Bennett Williams was a legendary Washington criminal lawyer. He was a powerful lawyer. At one time he owned the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Orioles. He was the lawyer for Frank Sinatra and Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. One day Mother Teresa called up for an appoint with Williams. She was trying to raise money for an AIDS hospice program. Edward Bennett Williams and his partner Paul Dietrich had charitable foundation that she hoped would help by making a donation. Before she arrived for the appointment, Williams said to his partner, “You know, Paul, AIDS is not my favorite disease. I don’t really want to make a contribution, but I’ve got this blankety blank Catholic saint coming to see me, and I don’t know what to do.” Well, they talked it over and agreed that they would be polite, hear her out, but then say no that they had used up all their funds for the time being.

Well, Mother Teresa arrived. She was a little sparrow sitting on the other side of the big mahogany lawyer’s desk. She made her appeal for the hospice, and Williams said, “We’re touched by your appeal, but no we don’t have any funds available at this time for your project.” Mother Teresa looked at him and said simply, “Let us pray.” Williams looked at Dietrich; they bowed their heads and after a rather lengthy prayer, Mother Teresa made the same pitch, word for word, for the AIDS hospice again. Again Williams politely said no. Mother Teresa looked at him and said, “Let us pray.” Williams, exasperated, looked up at the ceiling and said “All right, all right, get me my checkbook!”

Always pray, pray without ceasing, that is certainly part of the story but not all of it. If it were the meaning of this parable would be, “Be feisty. Pray always until God gives in.” But the moral of this story is Pray always and don’t lose heart.

But, this story isn’t just about an incorrigible judge and an annoying old widow. It is about God and about you and me. This story says if a poor widow, a nobody with no power, no authority, no influence can get justice out of a judge with no honor or integrity how much more will you, G-d’s child, whom he formed in the womb, whom he loved so much that he sent his son to died for, how much more willing will you find our G-d to hear and answer your prayers.

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. Pray always without losing heart. Because Jesus says, G-d will hears your prayers and will answer them quickly!

Quickly, right! I suspect if I took a poll in this room today that most would not agree with this scripture. That most of us would say we have prayed and prayed without receiving a quick answer from G-d. The word quick is a relative term. If someone was injured and needed an ambulance, I would say “Quick, call 911. But if a couple gets married after only knowing each other for four months I might say, Boy they sure got married quick! The word Jesus used means “Suddenly”. Your prayers may seem to go unanswered for months and then Boom suddenly you get the answer.

Now listen carefully to what I am about to say. God always answers your prayers immediately but sometimes it is later. When you pray, your prayer is heard in heaven and God acts on the request immediately, but it may take awhile before his answer gets to you.

Tom Long professor at Emory Candler school of theology tells this story: I had a friend growing up who had the ugliest bicycle I’d ever seen. It was a hand-me-down made from the parts of other bicycles. It was so ugly it didn’t even have handlebar grips. He was always complaining that his hands would slip off the slick handlebars. He pestered his dad to buy him some handlebar grips, but his dad kept refusing.

One day his dad took him to the Western Auto hardware store. Near the front door there were some new handlebar grips for sale. They were plastic and had long streamers hanging from the ends. He said, “Daddy, daddy, I’ve just GOT to have these handlebar grips! Please daddy!” His dad looked and him and said, “No son, you don’t need those grips. Now come with me to the back of the store.” As he followed his dad, my friend was bitter and frustrated. Under his breath he was muttering, “I never get ANYTHING. It’s just a lousy three dollars! My dad sure is mean!” When they got to the back of the store the owner wheeled out a shiny, brand new bicycle–complete with handlebar grips with plastic streamers. My friend’s dad said, “Here son, it’s an early birthday present. I wouldn’t buy you any handlebar grips because I had something better in mind!” My friend was ecstatic!

Always pray without losing heart for our God is a sovereign just God who loves his children! He hears your prayers and will answer them.