Lectionary Texts for October 21st 2007
Genesis 32: 22-31 - 22The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." 27So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." 29Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." 31The sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, limping because of his hip.
Psalm 119: 97-104 - Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long. 98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. 101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. 102 I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. 1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
Luke 18:1-8 - Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" 6 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. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Sermonic Content for October 21st 2007
Grace and peace to you, this day and every day, from God our creator, Christ our Savior, and from the Holy Spirit who keeps us in true faith. Amen.
I have a confession to make. In my younger days, I harbored a rather shameful obsession. This obsession is one which affects thousands; leading to all sorts of unseemly behavior, drawing concern and disapproval from numerous parents and guardians. At one time, I am sorry to say, I was obsessed with professional wrestling. I’m not talking about the Olympic sport, with the clear-cut rules and air of respectability. I’m talking about the ridiculous version; the one with grown men dressed in sequined pants, slathered in Crisco, slamming each other over the head with steel chairs while yelling at the top of their lungs. It’s not hard to see why such an obsession is unhealthy. The rivalries are ridiculous, the attire is tasteless, and the dialogue is obscene. The wrestling matches themselves don’t really hurt. They’re melodramatic theatrics at best. Punches are stopped just short of physical impact. The mat is padded. These “athletes” practice hour after hour to make their acrobatics seem physically strenuous, but the “pain” in these events is not real. It is not a pain that leaves lasting affects, breaks hearts, or shatters spirits.
On the other hand, the widow in our Gospel lesson wrestles with circumstances impacting numerous aspects of her life. Luke clarifies the intent of parables only twice in his Gospel, both times in the 18th chapter. Here we read that it is to “pray always and not to lose heart.” The widow in this parable has plenty of reasons to lose heart. Mentioned numerous times throughout the scriptures, widows were on the fringe of society; helpless and disenfranchised. Cut off from the community, they could not inherit money or property. They were utterly dependent upon the compassion and generosity of others. And so, it is from these impoverished circumstances that the widow comes to the judge saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” We do not know who this opponent is, possibly someone trying to defraud her of what little was hers or social circumstances that diminished her quality of life, but we do know that this is an issue of great concern to her.
She repeatedly comes, over and over to this unjust judge pleading to him, “Protect me against the one who is continuously hostile to me.” Over and over her petitions are refused. Yet after each refusal, she continues to bring the same petition for justice to this judge “who neither fears God nor has respect for people.” This particular judge may have had a history for ignoring the needs of the poor, oppressed, and outcast. He may have been well known amongst the people for attending only to those issues that would secure his position of power and prestige. The circumstances behind this judge’s unrighteousness are not told to us, but we do hear that he does not rush to hear her out.
Eventually this unjust judge, this judge who is commanded in the Mosaic Law to “not be partial in judging, [to] hear out the small and the great alike,” acquiesces to her request. In his own heart, he contemplates the situation. The Greek here, and I’m serious, is accurately translated as, “Even though I do not have fear of God or reverence for man, on account of this widow continuously causing me trouble, I will vindicate her, so that she may not finally come and strike me in the face.” A similar fear has compelled me to take out the trash a few times, so I can understand why the judge finally grants her justice.
One of my seminary professors, Dr. Terence Fretheim, reminds students to be mindful of “the Yes and No of the metaphor.” In other words, we are to be mindful of those characteristics which are accurate descriptions of the divine as well as those characteristics which are not so accurate. In our creeds, prayers, and hymns we confess God as the righteous judge of all. There is a yes here to acknowledge in the honor and power of God as one who will judge the living and the dead. There are no’s to acknowledge here as well. God revealed to us in Jesus Christ is not reluctant to hear or respond to the cries of the oppressed. Our Father in heaven is one who loves unconditionally and gives daily bread to all people. This unconditional love of God is one that compels Him to become incarnate in Jesus Christ, to teach and serve, to heal and feed, and to finally suffer death on a cross for our redemption. This loving faithfulness is one accurately described in the refrain of The Smashing Pumpkins’ latest single. “That’s the way my love is. That’s the way I care. You should call on me baby. Cause I’m always there for you. Yeah I’m always there for you.” When we look at Christ, we can readily see the righteousness of God revealed in His mercy and grace.
This revelation is often hard for us to rest in. There is a voice in all of us which speaks up with words of doubt when we consider the powerful love of God next to the burdens and opponents of daily life. We wrestle with our own demons and frustrations. Sometimes, like Jacob, we wrestle with these opponents until daybreak. It’s hard to cling to the promise of Christ when we wrestle with cancer, unemployment, divorce, disappointment, overdue bills, infertility, broken relationships, war, famine, betrayal, or poverty. Our hope for the future, our concern for family and community, and our yearning for peace seem to wash away when bad news comes. We may even feel ashamed when such doubts hinder the development of our faith. Martin Luther, in his explanation of the 3rd article of The Apostle’s Creed says, “I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith.” Sisters and brothers, when you and I feel strained and challenged by the burdens of life, when we feel alone in the dark, when we feel like “butter spread over too much bread,” it is in these dark moments of the soul when Christ comes to you and to me. It is in these valleys when God sends His Spirit into our hearts, to make and to increase our faith. It is the same merciful Father who sent Christ for our sake, who gives you and me the strength to believe. Luther is fond of referring to the Gospel as the promise of God. The “sweet-tasting” promise of God’s Word, the promise with which we are claimed in baptism, the promise with which we are forgiven and fed, it is in this promise that we are met by God. We are encountered in the midst of our daily messes. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, marked with the Cross of Christ forever, and given new names as children of our heavenly Father. We are held closely in the arms of our Father who loves you and me and all of creation.
At the end of our reading, Jesus points to the ‘No’ of the metaphor. "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to Him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?” Jesus proclaims the merciful expedience of our loving God. He assures you and me that our merciful father will not delay in helping us. Jesus concludes by asking “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Here we find ourselves inclined to return to the familiarity of uncertainty, the doubts with which we are accustomed. The glorious surprise here, brothers and sisters, the good news for you and for me, the grace for today and every day, is that in the bountiful love of Christ we are never alone in our struggles. This same Christ who reveals the loving gracious benevolent Father, this same Christ who heals the grateful and ungrateful lepers, it is He who has sent His Spirit into our hearts. It is He who has taken our brokenness upon Himself. It is He whose death has destroyed death; whose life-giving has given us life. It is He who dwells in our hearts by faith, who brings resurrection from despair, and who walks with you and with me as our “prairie home companion.”
Friends, it is in the assurance of this faithful presence and merciful promise that we may confidently strive for the widows in our midst. The homeless, the unemployed, the sick, the lonely and the distressed, all may be cared for in this confidence. For it is in this freedom that we know our time, talents, and possessions are but the fingers of the gracious hand of God, reaching out to all those in need. It is this freedom we are called to share; freedom from oppression, burdens, fears, and doubts. It is also the freedom to confidently bring the ultimate concerns of our heart to God. The Lutheran theologian and pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Within the risen Christ the new humanity is borne, the final, sovereign Yes of God to the new human being. Humanity still lives, of course, in the old, but is already beyond the old. Humanity still lives, of course, in a world of death, but is already beyond death. Humanity still lives, of course, in a world of sin, but we are already beyond sin. The night is not yet over, but the day is already dawning.” Our hopes for the future, our anxieties, our doubts, our affections for others, and our praises for blessings and grace may be freely given into the bountiful mercies of God. It is in this grace that we find peace from our struggles and the strength to carry out our vocations faithfully. In the promises of Word and Sacrament, Christ nurtures, encourages, and calls to you and to me. “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.