Thomas G. Long - "Praying Without Losing Heart" (October 29, 1995)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(bells chiming) | 0:00 | |
(bells chiming) | 0:49 | |
- | Grace and peace to you | 6:33 |
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 6:34 | |
and welcome to this service of worship | 6:37 | |
at Duke University Chapel. | 6:38 | |
We extend warm greetings to any visitors | 6:41 | |
who are with us today, and especially for those returning | 6:43 | |
alumni who are on campus for class reunions this weekend. | 6:46 | |
We welcome as our guest preacher today | 6:50 | |
the reverend Dr. Thomas Long, | 6:52 | |
professor of homiletics and preaching at Princeton Seminary. | 6:54 | |
Tom Long is no stranger to Duke Chapel, | 6:58 | |
having graced this pulpit on numerous occasions. | 7:00 | |
The word he brings to us | 7:03 | |
is always a powerful and a memorable one. | 7:05 | |
We look forward to his returning to the chapel again | 7:07 | |
for the month of January, | 7:10 | |
when he will preach for three Sundays in January. | 7:11 | |
We'd also like to welcome Mr. Attiba Ellis | 7:16 | |
as our lector today who is a Trinity College senior | 7:18 | |
and was last year's student preacher. | 7:21 | |
I'd like to thank the Raleigh Bell Ringers | 7:24 | |
and their director Mr. David Harris | 7:26 | |
for their beautiful musical offering for today's service. | 7:28 | |
Our chapel choir is away today in Washington DC | 7:32 | |
where they are the guest choir for services | 7:35 | |
at the Church of the Epiphany. | 7:38 | |
Please note the remaining announcements | 7:40 | |
as they are printed in your bulletins, | 7:42 | |
and now please stand for the greeting. | 7:44 | |
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. | 7:54 | |
Congregation | And also with you. | 7:57 |
- | The risen Christ is with us. | 7:59 |
Congregation | Praise the Lord. | 8:01 |
("A Mighty Fortress is Our God" by Martin Luther) | 8:04 | |
♪ A mighty fortress is our God ♪ | 9:04 | |
♪ A bulwark never failing ♪ | 9:10 | |
♪ Our helper he amid the flood ♪ | 9:18 | |
♪ Of mortal ills prevailing ♪ | 9:24 | |
♪ For still our ancient foe ♪ | 9:32 | |
♪ Doth seek to work us woe ♪ | 9:38 | |
♪ His craft and power are great ♪ | 9:44 | |
♪ And armed with cruel hate ♪ | 9:51 | |
♪ On earth is not his equal ♪ | 9:57 | |
♪ Did we in our own strength confide ♪ | 10:07 | |
♪ Our striving would be losing ♪ | 10:13 | |
♪ Were not the right man on our side ♪ | 10:20 | |
♪ The man of God's own choosing ♪ | 10:27 | |
♪ Dost ask who that may be ♪ | 10:35 | |
♪ Christ Jesus it is he ♪ | 10:41 | |
♪ Lord Saboath his name ♪ | 10:48 | |
♪ From age to age the same ♪ | 10:54 | |
♪ And he must win the battle ♪ | 11:00 | |
♪ And though this world with devils filled ♪ | 11:09 | |
♪ Should threaten to undo us ♪ | 11:16 | |
♪ We will not fear for God hath willed ♪ | 11:24 | |
♪ His truth to triumph through us ♪ | 11:30 | |
♪ The prince of darkness grim ♪ | 11:38 | |
♪ We tremble not for him ♪ | 11:44 | |
♪ His rage we can endure ♪ | 11:50 | |
♪ For lo his doom is sure ♪ | 11:56 | |
♪ One little word shall fell him ♪ | 12:02 | |
♪ That word above all earthly powers ♪ | 12:11 | |
♪ No thanks to them abideth ♪ | 12:18 | |
♪ The spirit and the gifts are ours ♪ | 12:26 | |
♪ Through him who with us sideth ♪ | 12:32 | |
♪ Let goods and kindred go ♪ | 12:40 | |
♪ This mortal life also ♪ | 12:46 | |
♪ The body they may kill ♪ | 12:52 | |
♪ God's truth abideth still ♪ | 12:59 | |
♪ His kingdom is forever ♪ | 13:05 | |
- | Oh living God, we thank you that in Jesus Christ, | 13:19 |
you have built a house not made with hands, | 13:24 | |
a people among whom you live. | 13:27 | |
We thank you that you have called us | 13:31 | |
and that we belong to you. | 13:33 | |
We come now, longing to know the touch of your spirit | 13:35 | |
that we may be empowered to serve you in the world. | 13:40 | |
Come to us that we may recognize you and sing your praise | 13:44 | |
through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 13:49 | |
- | Let us pray together the prayer for illumination. | 14:05 |
All | Open our hearts and minds oh God, | 14:11 |
by the power of your Holy Spirit | 14:15 | |
so that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 14:17 | |
we may hear your message with joy this day, amen. | 14:21 | |
The Old Testament reading for this morning | 14:29 | |
is from the Book of Joel, | 14:32 | |
chapter two verses 23 through 32. | 14:34 | |
Oh children of Zion, be glad and rejoice | 14:42 | |
in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain | 14:45 | |
for your vindication. | 14:50 | |
He has poured down for you abundant rain, | 14:52 | |
the early and the later rain as before. | 14:55 | |
The threshing floor shall be full of grain, | 15:00 | |
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. | 15:03 | |
I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust | 15:07 | |
has eaten the hopper. | 15:11 | |
The destroyer and the cutter, my great army | 15:13 | |
which I sent against you. | 15:16 | |
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied | 15:20 | |
and praise the name of the Lord your God | 15:23 | |
who has dealt wondrously with you. | 15:27 | |
And my people shall never again be put to shame. | 15:30 | |
You shall know that I am he in the midst of Israel, | 15:36 | |
and that I the Lord am your God, | 15:41 | |
and there is no other. | 15:45 | |
And my people shall never again be put to shame. | 15:48 | |
Then afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. | 15:54 | |
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. | 15:59 | |
Your old men shall dream dreams | 16:02 | |
and your young men shall see visions. | 16:04 | |
Even on the male and female slaves in those days, | 16:08 | |
I will pour out my spirit. | 16:12 | |
I will show portent in the heavens | 16:16 | |
and on the earth blood and fire and columns of smoke. | 16:19 | |
The sun shall be turned to darkness, | 16:25 | |
and the moon to blood before | 16:28 | |
the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. | 16:31 | |
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord | 16:36 | |
shall be saved, for in Mount Zion and Jerusalem | 16:39 | |
there shall be those who escape, | 16:44 | |
as the Lord has said, and among the survivors | 16:47 | |
shall be those whom the Lord calls. | 16:51 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 16:56 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 16:59 |
- | The epistle for this morning | 17:03 |
is from Paul's second letter to Timothy, | 17:06 | |
chapter four verses six through eight. | 17:09 | |
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, | 17:16 | |
and the time of my departure has come. | 17:21 | |
I have fought the good fight. | 17:25 | |
I have finished the race. | 17:28 | |
I have kept the faith. | 17:29 | |
From now on there is reserved for me | 17:33 | |
the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, | 17:36 | |
the righteous judge, will give me on that day. | 17:40 | |
And not only to me, but also to all | 17:45 | |
who have longed for his appearing. | 17:49 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 17:54 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 17:57 |
- | Please stand as we read responsively Psalm 65. | 18:06 |
Praise is due to you, oh God in Zion. | 18:20 | |
Congregation | And to you shall vows be performed. | 18:24 |
- | To you who hear prayer, | 18:27 |
all flesh shall come because of their sins. | 18:29 | |
Congregation | When our transgressions prevail over us, | 18:33 |
you forgive them. | 18:37 | |
- | Blessed are those whom you choose and bring near | 18:38 |
to dwell in your courts. | 18:42 | |
Congregation | We shall be satisfied | 18:45 |
by the goodness of your house, of your holy temple. | 18:46 | |
- | By dread deeds you answer us with deliverance, | 18:51 |
oh God of our salvation. | 18:54 | |
Congregation | You are the hope of all | 18:56 |
the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. | 18:58 | |
Your righteousness established the mountains | 19:02 | |
having girded it with your might. | 19:05 | |
- | Who stills the roaring of the seas, | 19:08 |
the roaring of their waves, | 19:10 | |
the tumult of the peoples | 19:12 | |
so that those who dwell at Earth's farthest bounds | 19:14 | |
are afraid at your signs. | 19:18 | |
Congregation | You make the morning | 19:21 |
and the evenings resound with your joy. | 19:22 | |
- | You visit the earth and water it. | 19:26 |
You greatly enrich it. | 19:28 | |
Congregation | The river of God is full of water | 19:31 |
and you provide their grain | 19:34 | |
for so you have prepared it. | 19:35 | |
- | You water its furrows abundantly, | 19:39 |
settling its ridges, softening it with showers, | 19:41 | |
and blessing its growth. | 19:45 | |
Congregation | You crown the year with your bounty. | 19:47 |
The tracks of your chariot drip with fatness. | 19:50 | |
- | The pastures of the wilderness drip. | 19:54 |
The hills gird themselves with joy. | 19:56 | |
Congregation | The meadows clothe themselves with flocks. | 20:00 |
The valleys deck themselves with grain. | 20:03 | |
They shout and sing together for joy. | 20:06 | |
(organ music) | 20:11 | |
(congregation singing) | 20:19 | |
(bells chiming) | 21:31 | |
- | It is wonderful to be back at Duke. | 24:34 |
One of the best parts of being in this chapel | 24:37 | |
is the chance to work with student liturgical leaders | 24:40 | |
like Attiba Ellis. | 24:44 | |
You heard him read that Old Testament and epistle lesson. | 24:46 | |
He even sounded like an Old Testament prophet | 24:50 | |
there for a while. | 24:52 | |
He is a prize winning preacher. | 24:55 | |
The strange thing about Attiba is | 24:57 | |
that he does not yet know | 25:00 | |
what is so apparent to the rest of us | 25:02 | |
that God is calling him to go to seminary. | 25:05 | |
(congregation laughs) | 25:07 | |
Maybe Duke, probably Princeton, but some seminary. | 25:09 | |
(congregation laughs) | 25:13 | |
He thinks God wants him to go to graduate school in history | 25:16 | |
but maybe after the service you will help me | 25:19 | |
let him know what God's true will is for his life. | 25:22 | |
(congregation laughs) | 25:25 | |
Our Gospel lesson comes from | 25:28 | |
the 18th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. | 25:30 | |
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need | 25:37 | |
to pray always, and not to lose heart. | 25:41 | |
He said in a certain city there was a judge | 25:47 | |
who neither feared God nor had respect for people. | 25:50 | |
In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him | 25:55 | |
and saying grant me justice against my opponent. | 26:00 | |
For a while, he refused, but later he said to himself | 26:06 | |
though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, | 26:11 | |
yet because this widow keeps bothering me | 26:17 | |
I will grant her justice so that she may not | 26:21 | |
wear me out by continually coming. | 26:24 | |
And the Lord said listen to what the unjust judge says, | 26:28 | |
and will not God grant justice to his chosen ones | 26:33 | |
who cry to him day and night? | 26:38 | |
Will he delay long in helping them? | 26:41 | |
I tell you he will quickly grant justice to them, | 26:43 | |
and yet when the Son of Man comes, | 26:48 | |
will he find faith on the Earth? | 26:50 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 26:54 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 26:57 |
- | When the late Leonard Bernstein | 27:03 |
was composing his contemporary mass, | 27:04 | |
his rock and blues and jazz mass, | 27:07 | |
he wanted it to be an honest mass. | 27:12 | |
He wanted the music and the lyrics of this mass | 27:15 | |
genuinely to express the religious sensibilities | 27:20 | |
of our age, our anxiety-ridden time. | 27:24 | |
He knew that the most troubling words of the mass, | 27:29 | |
the most threatening words of the liturgy | 27:32 | |
for people of our time are | 27:35 | |
let us pray. | 27:39 | |
If you think about it, the words let us pray | 27:44 | |
when they sink in, raise all of the questions. | 27:47 | |
What is prayer? | 27:52 | |
Does God hear our prayer in any personal way? | 27:55 | |
Is there even a God to listen at all? | 27:58 | |
If I pray for my sick child, and she gets better, | 28:02 | |
does that mean my prayer changed God's mind? | 28:07 | |
Wouldn't God have healed my child | 28:11 | |
whether I prayed or not? | 28:13 | |
The words let us pray | 28:19 | |
lift up all of the questions that we have, | 28:22 | |
and they make us put our chips on the table | 28:25 | |
and wager about faith. | 28:29 | |
In the mass, when the time came for prayer | 28:34 | |
and the words let us pray are uttered, | 28:37 | |
Bernstein has the chorus begin obediently | 28:40 | |
to atone a prayer of confession, | 28:43 | |
but rising above the sound of the chorus | 28:45 | |
is one singer who tells the truth. | 28:48 | |
If I could, I'd confess good and loud nice and slow | 28:52 | |
get this load off my chest. | 28:57 | |
Yes, but how Lord? | 28:59 | |
I don't know. | 29:00 | |
What I say I don't feel, what I feel I don't show. | 29:02 | |
What I show isn't real, what is real Lord I don't know. | 29:05 | |
No, no, no, I don't know. | 29:09 | |
Jesus told them a parable | 29:15 | |
in order that they might pray always and not lose heart. | 29:18 | |
Now Leonard Bernstein probably assumed | 29:25 | |
that our problems with prayer | 29:27 | |
are because we are modern people. | 29:29 | |
They are products of the contemporary secular age, | 29:30 | |
but the writer of the Gospel of Luke knew better. | 29:34 | |
He knew that his community | 29:38 | |
was already in trouble about prayer. | 29:39 | |
The earliest Christian church | 29:41 | |
was already having problems with prayer. | 29:43 | |
In fact, Luke may be telling us that even Jesus' disciples | 29:45 | |
were having problems with prayer | 29:50 | |
practically minutes after Jesus had told them how to pray. | 29:52 | |
Pray like this. | 29:56 | |
Father hallowed be your name. | 29:57 | |
Your kingdom come, give us each day our daily bread. | 29:59 | |
But Luke knows, Christians always have | 30:03 | |
and they always will have problems with prayer. | 30:08 | |
Now if we were to make a list of our problems | 30:13 | |
it would probably be a pretty long list. | 30:14 | |
Some of them would be trivial. | 30:17 | |
Is it all right to pray in the end zone after a touchdown? | 30:19 | |
Is it worth a five yard penalty or a 15 yard penalty? | 30:23 | |
(congregation laughs) | 30:26 | |
Some of them are more practical. | 30:27 | |
I just can't find time for prayer | 30:29 | |
given the business of my life. | 30:32 | |
Some of them are ethical. | 30:34 | |
Is it all right to pray for good weather | 30:35 | |
for the Special Olympics | 30:38 | |
if the farmers in the next county need rain? | 30:40 | |
Some of them are metaphysical. | 30:44 | |
What does it mean in a post-Einsteinian universe | 30:45 | |
to appeal to God to cause something to happen? | 30:50 | |
We've got a lot of problems about prayer, | 30:53 | |
but Luke knows when you get all the way down | 30:56 | |
the real problem about prayer, | 31:00 | |
the underlying problem about prayer, | 31:02 | |
the problem beneath all the other problems about prayer | 31:04 | |
is that we simply lose heart. | 31:07 | |
If we really thought that praying for peace in Bosnia | 31:14 | |
would bring healing to that war torn land, we would pray. | 31:18 | |
If we really believed that praying for security | 31:23 | |
for our children, for joy in our lives, | 31:26 | |
for peace in the world, for food for the hungry, | 31:29 | |
that justice would roll down | 31:32 | |
like the waters and it would happen | 31:33 | |
you couldn't keep us out of the prayer closet. | 31:35 | |
But we lose heart. | 31:39 | |
We just lose heart. | 31:43 | |
Jesus told them a parable | 31:48 | |
that they might pray always and never lose heart. | 31:51 | |
The parable he told them was about this scurrilous judge. | 31:58 | |
He is not Judge Watner by any means. | 32:03 | |
He neither fears God and he despises people. | 32:06 | |
He doesn't go to church | 32:09 | |
and he doesn't give to the United Way. | 32:10 | |
He is the kind of sleazebag jurist | 32:13 | |
who makes the phrase your honor a joke. | 32:16 | |
Unfortunately appearing in his courtroom | 32:20 | |
is a widow who needs justice, | 32:23 | |
and widows in the first century don't have any rights. | 32:25 | |
They don't have any power, they don't have any clout, | 32:28 | |
they don't have any political IOUs they can call on. | 32:31 | |
They have nothing. | 32:34 | |
Even in a good courtroom, she probably wouldn't get justice | 32:35 | |
and here she is before the worst judge in the land | 32:39 | |
and she has nothing. | 32:43 | |
Well she does have one thing. | 32:46 | |
She has the ability to pester the judge, and so she does. | 32:49 | |
She cries out day and night. | 32:54 | |
She bangs on his chamber door. | 32:56 | |
She leaves messages on his answering machine. | 32:58 | |
She cries for justice in every way that she can. | 33:01 | |
I think it was Bill Cosby who said, | 33:05 | |
"When children come to their parents wanting justice, | 33:08 | |
"Billy took my teddy bear and it's not fair, | 33:11 | |
"they think parents want justice | 33:14 | |
"but parents don't want justice, they want quiet." | 33:15 | |
(congregation laughs) | 33:19 | |
And so it is with this judge. | 33:21 | |
In a marvelous soliloquy he stands up and says, | 33:25 | |
"Though I despise God and the whole human race, | 33:28 | |
"I will give this woman justice | 33:32 | |
"because she is absolutely wearing me out." | 33:34 | |
Jesus told them this parable | 33:40 | |
in order that they might pray always | 33:45 | |
and not lose heart. | 33:49 | |
What is it about that story that would enable us to pray | 33:53 | |
and not lose heart? | 33:58 | |
What is it that Jesus wants us to see | 34:00 | |
in that story about the judge and the widow? | 34:04 | |
Maybe, just maybe, Jesus wants us to see | 34:08 | |
in that story a testimony to the fact | 34:12 | |
that in human society, though it may look broken and corrupt | 34:16 | |
God has indeed put the structures of justice | 34:21 | |
if we simply know how to look for them. | 34:25 | |
It looked like a corrupt judge, | 34:27 | |
but he gave her justice. | 34:29 | |
Several years ago a writer for the new York Times | 34:33 | |
went to Yankee Stadium on a chilly September night | 34:36 | |
to see the Yankees play baseball. | 34:39 | |
They were a million games out at first, | 34:41 | |
but it was a nice, crisp night for baseball | 34:43 | |
and he enjoyed the game. | 34:46 | |
About the second inning however, | 34:49 | |
a foul ball came over into their part of the stands | 34:51 | |
headed right for a nine year old boy | 34:54 | |
who was wearing a Yankees cap, | 34:57 | |
an oversized Little League glove, | 34:59 | |
and a cheap pair of binoculars. | 35:01 | |
The foul ball was just about to land | 35:04 | |
in the little boy's eager glove, | 35:06 | |
when a 35 year old man wearing horn-rimmed glasses | 35:09 | |
reached roughly over the kid and grabbed the foul ball, | 35:13 | |
breaking the kid's binoculars and the kid's heart. | 35:17 | |
He sat down with the ball and the stands stunned | 35:23 | |
began to chant, "Give the kid the ball." | 35:28 | |
(congregation laughs) | 35:32 | |
"Give the kid the ball." | 35:34 | |
He shook his head and put the ball in his coat pocket. | 35:36 | |
More and more the stands began to shout it. | 35:41 | |
It began to spread into areas of the stadium | 35:44 | |
that hadn't even seen what happened. | 35:46 | |
Give the kid the ball, give the kid the ball. | 35:48 | |
Inning after inning. | 35:51 | |
About the seventh inning, a man went down | 35:54 | |
and talked to horn-rims compassionately, softly. | 35:57 | |
Whatever he said turned the key, | 36:01 | |
because he pulled the ball out of his pocket | 36:03 | |
and he gave it to the delighted kid. | 36:06 | |
Everybody jumped on their feet! | 36:09 | |
He gave the kid the ball! | 36:11 | |
He gave the kid the ball! | 36:13 | |
Players on the field were looking into the stands. | 36:15 | |
There was more interest in the stands than on the field. | 36:18 | |
Another foul ball came into the stands | 36:22 | |
and the man who caught it handed it to horn-rims. | 36:24 | |
That was a good thing you did, here have another ball. | 36:27 | |
A man with a Fu Manchu mustache handed the kid another ball | 36:31 | |
and at the end of the game, he had two balls, | 36:36 | |
a smile on his face, and everybody in the stands | 36:38 | |
was impressed with the fairness of life. | 36:42 | |
Maybe that's what Jesus wants us to see. | 36:47 | |
Underneath it all, there are structures of justice. | 36:51 | |
I don't think so. | 36:57 | |
Because if that were the lesson of this parable, | 37:00 | |
it would only be things are better | 37:04 | |
than they appear, so don't lose heart. | 37:06 | |
But the message of this parable is pray always, | 37:12 | |
and don't lose heart. | 37:17 | |
Well maybe Jesus wants us to focus then | 37:21 | |
on the character of the widow, and to learn the lesson | 37:23 | |
from this parable that persistent and dogged prayer | 37:27 | |
really does knock down the barriers. | 37:31 | |
This woman was persistent and she finally got justice | 37:34 | |
and maybe that's what we're supposed to see. | 37:37 | |
Keep on praying, you'll finally get prayer to work. | 37:40 | |
You may remember the name Edward Bennett Williams. | 37:44 | |
He was a famous criminal lawyer in the Washington DC area. | 37:47 | |
In fact, during Watergate for a while | 37:51 | |
he was Richard Nixon's attorney. | 37:53 | |
Evan Thomas has just written a biography | 37:56 | |
of Edward Bennett Williams, and he tells the day | 37:59 | |
that Mother Teresa came to visit Edward Bennett Williams. | 38:02 | |
The reason she did is that Edward Bennett Williams | 38:06 | |
and his friend Paul Dietrich | 38:09 | |
were in charge of a charitable foundation | 38:11 | |
and Mother Teresa wanted to ask for money | 38:14 | |
for her new AIDS hospice. | 38:17 | |
Well Edward Bennett Williams and Paul Dietrich | 38:21 | |
got together before she came, | 38:23 | |
and Williams said, "Dietrich, AIDS is not | 38:24 | |
"my favorite disease." | 38:27 | |
They talked it over and they decided on a strategy. | 38:30 | |
They'd let the woman talk, | 38:34 | |
but then they would politely refuse her. | 38:36 | |
When Mother Teresa arrived, Williams and Dietrich | 38:41 | |
sat on one side of the desk | 38:44 | |
and the diminutive saint sat on the other side of the desk, | 38:45 | |
her little face barely coming up | 38:49 | |
over the mahogany furniture. | 38:51 | |
She made her appeal, and then Williams very apologetically | 38:53 | |
but politely refused. | 38:59 | |
Let us pray, said Mother Teresa. | 39:03 | |
Williams rolled his eyes at Dietrich, | 39:07 | |
but they bowed their heads. | 39:09 | |
When the prayer was over, | 39:11 | |
Mother Teresa made the same speech. | 39:12 | |
Gave the same appeal. | 39:14 | |
Williams said, "I'm very sorry but the answer is still no." | 39:17 | |
"Let us pray," she said. | 39:24 | |
(congregation laughs) | 39:25 | |
And at this point, Williams looked up at the ceiling | 39:29 | |
and said "All right, all right, get me my checkbook." | 39:31 | |
Maybe that's what Jesus wants us to learn. | 39:38 | |
Dogged and persistent prayer finally... | 39:41 | |
I don't think so. | 39:47 | |
Because if that were the lesson of this parable | 39:50 | |
it would simply be when the going gets tough, | 39:52 | |
the tough get going with prayer. | 39:55 | |
But Luke says it's deeper than that. | 39:58 | |
He told them this parable | 40:02 | |
in order that they might pray always | 40:04 | |
and not lose heart. | 40:08 | |
It's not a story about | 40:11 | |
the structures of justice in human society. | 40:12 | |
It's not a story about the rewards of persistent prayer. | 40:14 | |
It is a story about the character of God. | 40:19 | |
If even a scurrilous judge | 40:24 | |
can give an annoying woman justice, | 40:28 | |
how much more | 40:33 | |
will the God who created you in the womb, | 40:35 | |
who called you by name, who counts the hairs on your head, | 40:38 | |
give justice to God's own children? | 40:43 | |
It's a story about the trustworthiness of God. | 40:48 | |
The sociologist of religion Peter Berger says, | 40:53 | |
"When a child cries out in the middle of the night | 40:56 | |
"with a nightmare and his mother runs to him | 40:59 | |
"and tucks the blanket under his chin | 41:02 | |
"and says, 'There there honey, everything is all right.' | 41:04 | |
"It is more than just comfort. | 41:09 | |
"It is a confession of her faith." | 41:12 | |
That in more than this room, | 41:18 | |
and in more than this one nightmare, | 41:22 | |
and in more than this one mother and child relationship, | 41:25 | |
that all of us are sailing on a sea | 41:31 | |
of grace and providence. | 41:36 | |
From the God who nurtures us like a mother, | 41:39 | |
and a father. | 41:44 | |
It's a story about the trustworthiness of God. | 41:46 | |
You may remember that wonderful, final scene | 41:53 | |
in Jean Anouilh's play Becket. | 41:56 | |
The king has appointed his old drinking buddy | 42:00 | |
Thomas a Becket as archbishop | 42:02 | |
because he needs something from the church | 42:05 | |
and he knows that Becket will give it, | 42:07 | |
but surprisingly, stunningly, Becket stands up | 42:11 | |
against his old friend and he refuses to yield. | 42:14 | |
"Becket, this is not like you!" says the king. | 42:19 | |
"I am no longer like myself." | 42:22 | |
"You've begun to love God." | 42:27 | |
"I have started to love the honor of God," | 42:32 | |
said Becket. | 42:38 | |
This is a story about loving the honor of God. | 42:42 | |
That if even a dishonorable judge | 42:48 | |
can give a persistent widow justice, | 42:51 | |
how much more will the God who spangles the heavens | 42:56 | |
with stars, who raises the sun for us each day, | 42:59 | |
give justice to those who cry out? | 43:05 | |
But how do we know | 43:14 | |
that God is trustworthy? | 43:16 | |
The only thing I know to say | 43:23 | |
is that the one who told this parable | 43:27 | |
was not Socrates or Kafka or Aesop, | 43:29 | |
but Jesus, | 43:34 | |
who is himself the disclosure of the character of God. | 43:37 | |
Who came to us in our dark night, | 43:41 | |
and touched our fevered brow, | 43:45 | |
and carried our pain to the cross. | 43:49 | |
Therefore, | 43:55 | |
pray always. | 43:58 | |
And do not lose heart. | 44:04 | |
Let us pray. | 44:10 | |
We do not even know what | 44:21 | |
we are doing when we pray, oh God. | 44:23 | |
But the spirit prays in us with sighs too deep for words. | 44:28 | |
We trust you oh God, we trust you. | 44:36 | |
Give us justice. | 44:41 | |
And give us peace. | 44:44 | |
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 44:46 | |
(organ music) | 44:52 | |
(congregation singing) | 45:17 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 47:11 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 47:13 |
- | Let us pray. | 47:15 |
Creating God, you have filled us | 47:20 | |
your earthen vessels, with strength and promise | 47:24 | |
yet we are tempted to hide the treasure you have given us. | 47:29 | |
We acknowledge our likeness to the Pharisees | 47:33 | |
when we depend less on your mercy | 47:36 | |
than on our own purity. | 47:39 | |
Grant us the wisdom to truly acknowledge our weakness, | 47:43 | |
and to persevere in prayer. | 47:47 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 47:51 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 47:52 |
- | Let us pray for the Church of Jesus Christ, | 47:56 |
your body on earth | 47:58 | |
that begun, maintained, and nurtured by your spirit | 48:01 | |
it may be true to its calling, | 48:05 | |
living as a faithful community of disciples | 48:08 | |
persevering to the end. | 48:11 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 48:14 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 48:16 |
- | Let us pray for the leaders of all the nations. | 48:19 |
For our president, our Congress, our governor, | 48:23 | |
state legislators, our mayor, | 48:27 | |
our city council, county commissioners, | 48:31 | |
and school board members that they may provide | 48:33 | |
wise and compassionate leadership | 48:36 | |
as they seek the way of peace and justice for all. | 48:38 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 48:44 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 48:46 |
- | Let us pray for prisoners and captives, | 48:49 |
and for all who live within war torn countries. | 48:52 | |
For all who are suffering | 48:56 | |
because of their faithfulness to truth. | 48:57 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 49:01 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 49:02 |
- | Let us pray for the sick, the afflicted, | 49:06 |
and for those who care for them. | 49:09 | |
Let us pray for any who cannot afford adequate healthcare. | 49:12 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 49:18 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 49:20 |
- | Let us pray for all whose livelihood is insecure. | 49:23 |
For those whose work is difficult | 49:27 | |
and for those who cannot find employment. | 49:30 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 49:34 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 49:36 |
- | Let us pray for those who suffer | 49:39 |
from conflicts at home between husband and wife, | 49:41 | |
parent and child, or sister and brother, | 49:44 | |
especially those subjected to physical or emotional abuse. | 49:48 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 49:53 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 49:55 |
- | Let us pray for this university. | 49:58 |
For those who teach and those who learn. | 50:00 | |
For those who feed us, who clean for us, | 50:03 | |
who daily perform the scores of unseen tasks | 50:06 | |
which enable the business of learning, | 50:09 | |
of discovering, and of healing to carry on. | 50:12 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 50:16 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 50:18 |
- | Let us pray for improved race relations | 50:21 |
within our city, our country, and our world. | 50:24 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 50:29 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 50:31 |
- | Let us pray for all those who are in any way | 50:34 |
affected by violence in our community. | 50:37 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 50:41 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 50:43 |
- | Let us pray for our enemies as Christ commanded. | 50:46 |
For those who oppose us or scheme against us, | 50:50 | |
also children of your love. | 50:55 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 50:58 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 51:00 |
- | Let us pray for the unspoken needs of this congregation, | 51:03 |
and for all who are forgotten by us but dear to you. | 51:07 | |
Lord in your mercy. | 51:12 | |
All | Hear our prayer. | 51:14 |
- | Redeeming God you have poured out your power upon us, | 51:18 |
promising never to forsake us. | 51:21 | |
Free us from the false identities which ensnare us, | 51:25 | |
and strengthen us to follow the call of Christ | 51:28 | |
for it is in his name we pray, amen. | 51:31 | |
And now let us present the offerings of our life | 51:39 | |
and our labor unto the Lord, with thanksgiving. | 51:41 | |
(bells chiming) | 52:23 | |
(organ music) | 56:33 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 57:31 | |
♪ Praise him all creatures here below ♪ | 57:37 | |
♪ Alleluia alleluia ♪ | 57:43 | |
♪ Praise him above ye heavenly host ♪ | 57:51 | |
♪ Praise father son and holy ghost ♪ | 57:58 | |
♪ Alleluia alleluia ♪ | 58:03 | |
♪ Alleluia alleluia ♪ | 58:10 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 58:16 | |
- | We give you thanks eternal God | 58:29 |
for those who have run the race of faith before us, | 58:32 | |
and now surround us like a cloud of witnesses. | 58:36 | |
We thank you for the church around the world | 58:39 | |
that we count as our sisters and brothers in Christ | 58:42 | |
people of all races, tongues, and nations. | 58:45 | |
Especially we thank you for those who witness | 58:48 | |
faithfully to you in the midst of oppression or turmoil. | 58:50 | |
Oh living God you have given each of us parts to play | 58:55 | |
in the great drama of your love. | 58:58 | |
Speak through us and move through us | 59:00 | |
that the story of your mighty deeds | 59:02 | |
will be known in our own time and place, | 59:04 | |
with faithful people of all ages | 59:07 | |
may we be Christ's body on Earth | 59:10 | |
for it is in his name that we are bold to pray. | 59:13 | |
All | Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | 59:16 |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, | 59:21 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 59:24 | |
Give us this day our daily bread, | 59:26 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 59:29 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 59:31 | |
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil | 59:35 | |
for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. | 59:40 | |
Amen. | 59:45 | |
(organ music) | 59:47 | |
(congregation singing) | 1:00:26 | |
The blessing of the God of Abraham and Sarah, | 1:01:53 | |
the blessing of Jesus Christ born of Mary, | 1:01:56 | |
the blessing of the Holy Spirit who broods over us | 1:01:59 | |
like a mother over her children | 1:02:02 | |
be with you and remain with you always, amen. | 1:02:04 | |
(bells chiming) | 1:02:11 |