Bishop Steven Charleston writes, I am of a generation that remembers how the Rolling Stones were right: you can't always get what you want, but you can get what you need, a rock and roll reminder of an ancient wisdom. We can imagine many things that we want, thinking that if we could only get this one thing, the person of our dreams, the job of a lifetime, then we would be fulfilled. But, how many times have we imagined that, only to get what we wanted and find that it wasn t really what we wanted after all? Maybe, we need to think before we ask? Today s gospel focuses on a widow and an unjust judge. At first glance, it appears that Jesus is telling a story that champions prayer as annoyance, so that you ll get what you want by wearing God down. Just keep praying, just keep praying, that s what we do, we pray. (my apologies to Dory) But, that s not Jesus message. Not by a long shot. God is not an unjust judge. God is not up on a cloud providing the miracle to the one who knocks on heaven s door the loudest. The widow has no other recourse in this world. She has no husband, and assumedly no other family. To survive at all, widows needed the community s support. 1
In addition, she has determination to get what she deserves. In this scenario, the widow is God, who despite our failings, knows that we can do the right thing with enough motivation. It is God who always pleads for justice and inspires us into action against the unjust judges in this world. This parable is about action. The widow is not passive. She s not sitting around whining about her lot. She is up and about and ready to do battle. The hearers of this parable would have laughed out loud that a woman would get the better of the more famous, more well-heeled judge. Giving in to her to get her off his back, he brings shame upon himself and bestows honor to the widow. That would never happen in the real world. Would it? It makes sense if you think about it, the widow is breaking open the status quo so that justice can be done not only for her, but for others like her. Theologian John M. Buchanan writes, Count on God to come down on the side of justice. Count on God to hear the ones who have no power, no influence, no voice. Count on God to hear those who have nowhere else to turn. Count on God not always to grant your requests, but to hear, with loving, parental patience, the persistent prayers of your heart. 2
We pray and then we act. Then we pray again and then we act again. This is the cycle of bringing justice to the world. We pray that God help the people of Haiti and those in the path of Hurricane Mathew s destruction. Then, we act by sending money to Episcopal Relief and Development. Then we pray again is there more we can do? Then we act by going there to help with clean up, or organize a fundraiser to send additional funds. In the process of prayer and action, we discern God s call to us and follow it, because it becomes more and more evident that not following God s call it is a choice of inaction (and therefore, not a choice for justice). This parable is also about faith. There are many definitions of that word out there. The one I liked best was in the American Heritage online thesaurus: Faith is dedication, loyalty, allegiance in the trustworthiness of another; the act of binding yourself to a course of action* The other definitions were there also: belief in a supreme Being, being in compliance with religious dogma. But, the American Heritage definition speaks best in the context of the widow and the unjust judge. God is dedicated, loyal, and allegiant in trusting us to do the right thing. 3
The widow has faith that the judge will do the same. We often find the most fervent faith in those who have very little, like the widow, because God is all they have to rely on. There s no falling back on wealth, or status, or birthright for the widows of this world. Of course, God has no use for any of that stuff anyway. We should acknowledge that those things that we count as blessings: abundant food, more than adequate shelter, lots of clothes and clean underwear, fine schools, vacations, and the like, are often why we lose our connection with God. As Christians, and as Episcopalians, we bind ourselves to a course of action through baptism. Faith comes not only in taking to heart the Trinitarian nature of God and the dual natures of Jesus the Christ, but also in promising to do justice. We do justice by voting. We do justice by sacrificial giving. We do justice by protesting loudly. We do justice by quietly helping someone learn to read. We do justice by advocating for someone who has no voice or has had their voice taken from them. We do justice by sitting alongside someone who is broken in body, mind, or spirit. Sometimes, we do justice by putting ourselves in harm s way. 4
When we do these things, acknowledging in faith that God will always come down on the side of justice, we are divine encouragers like the widow in Jesus parable. So, friends, seek opportunities to do justice every day. And, seek time for prayer. It is the cycle of prayer and action that make us Christ s body and God s evangelists. Pray that the peace of God comes to all peoples on earth. Pray that we may trust in that peace. Amen. *The American Heritage Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. 5