A Sermon on Persistence, Prayer, and Politicians

Here’s my sermon from Sunday, October 16, 2016, for St. Peter Lutheran Church in Greene, Iowa.

Today’s lectionary texts for the sermon are Luke 18:1-8, and Psalm 121, with just a dash of 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 thrown in at the end. 

I want to start this morning by making a bit of a confession. I’m fascinated by politics and election season. I’m not going to stand here campaign for a particular candidate, but I have been paying a lot of attention to what’s going on in our country right now. It’s a fascinating process.

I’ve caught myself reading more and more news stories this week. I’ll read a story, then check compare another site to try to make sure what I’m reading isn’t just from one biased source. I’m sure I’m not the only one getting caught up in the back and forth, the fighting, in winners and losers. I hope I’m not the only one.

I have friends in both parties, so I see stuff for both candidates, or, more often, against the evil other candidate. I’ve even seen jokes claiming the best election result for our country would be to send both candidates to Mars so we can get on with life.

Who you vote for in three weeks matters. Don’t worry, I’m not telling you who to vote for, or talking about who I’m voting for. I think it’s fair to say neither candidate is perfect, and I suspect you have a strong opinion about who’s better. I’m sure there’s disagreement in this room about who that is.

But for all the attention we give it, the odds of any of our votes deciding the election are minuscule. You and I simply don’t have the power to decide who wins a national election. I still absolutely believe it’s worth voting as a civic duty, especially for local races, but your individual vote is not going to decide the presidential election.

One of the problems with focusing so much on politics is that we give elections and politicians more credit than they deserve.

If Donald Trump wins, maybe that will end illegal immigration, keep us all Americans safe, and give everyone a great job. If the winner is Hillary Clinton, maybe the problems of sexism and racism will be solved, and everyone will have healthcare and equal pay.

Or maybe, just maybe, some of the campaign promises won’t be kept. Maybe one person can’t fix everything. Maybe in four years we’ll have another campaign, looking for a new candidate to save us from the other party.

Maybe we need to look somewhere other than politics for hope, and change, and salvation.

In today’s parable from Luke 18, we meet a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. He’s the worst example of a corrupt politician. This guy has no respect for justice, or the constitution, or anything else.

Then we meet a widow, who has some kind of legal problem. Jesus doesn’t say anything about what her actual issue is, but it’s something that this judge ought to be able to fix, at least, if he were any kind of a decent judge. But he’s not. He’s unjust, and he really doesn’t care about this woman’s problem.

And yet, she doesn’t give up, even though the one with the power to help her refuses to care. She comes back, over and over, again and again, petitioning him to grant her justice against her opponent. Eventually, he gets so tired of listening to her, so worn out by her persistence, that he gives in and does the right thing.

If persistence can wear down even a terrible, unjust judge like this, Jesus says, imagine how much more God will give justice. It’s not that God is an unjust judge who gets worn down by constant prayer petitions; Jesus’ point is God is so much better!

And yet, we don’t always get immediate, instant answers to our prayers. We see many, many examples of injustice, places where we would like God to act. When we see problems in our world, when we encounter challenges in our lives, how do we respond?

Where do we look for help? Do we keep calling on God, or do we look elsewhere?

As important as this election is, and it is important, November 8th won’t change our call as church.

We’re still called to show God’s love to the world, to love our neighbors, to work for peace and justice, to help the poor, feed the hungry, speak for the voiceless. Our call is to remain faithful, to keep working for God’s kingdom.

The widow in Jesus’ story is such a great example. As a widow, she’s in a terrible position in her culture. She has no power to change things, to make justice happen. Ever felt like that?

Yet rather than give up, she comes back again and again, seeking justice. That’s what we’re called to do, no matter what party is in power. We’re called to be faithful. We’re called to continue praying, and to back up our prayers with actions.

I want to share with you a prayer I read this week from Thomas More, a 16th century English martyr. He prays:

Give us, Lord, a humble, quiet, peaceable, patient, tender and charitable mind, and in all our thoughts, words and deeds a taste of the Holy Spirit. Give us, Lord, a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, a love of you.

Take from us all lukewarmness in meditation, dullness in prayer. Give us fervour and delight in thinking of you and your grace, your tender compassion towards us. The things that we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labour for: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The things that we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labour for. What a great thing to pray!

As Paul puts it in the letter to Timothy, “Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

In a few minutes, we’re going to baptize Maxwell O’Brien, washing him in the waters of baptism, and speaking over him the Word of God. We the church get to witness the promise of God claiming Max as a beloved child.

God has claimed you as a child, and God is faithful. Always. No matter what.

If you’re looking to politicians, to government structures, even to your family or neighbors for hope, you’re eventually going to be disappointed. If your candidate loses on November 8th, even if it’s a landslide for the other party, you can get a little upset, you can be disappointed, but then remind yourself of where your hope is.

Remind yourself what you’re called to do as a faithful child of God. Remember that your identity is in God, not in a political process or politician.

One more reminder, from our Psalm today.

Psalm 121 is a called a “Psalm of Ascent,” because it was originally intended to be sung by Jewish travelers on their way to worship at the temple, ascending the hills to Jerusalem.

Imagine singing this Psalm over and over as you’re making your journey to Jerusalem, a journey that could be dangerous and slow, risking thieves and bandits, carrying your provisions with you.

Imagine walking on your way, singing: “I lift my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth… He who keeps you will not slumber…The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.”

Remember this week that our help comes from the Lord, the one who made heaven and earth, who came to dwell among us, who died for us, who has claimed each of us as children of God through baptism.

May God be with you on your journey.
Amen.