18th Sunday after Trinity 2022 St Andrew’s Milngavie
Dear All
Today we celebrated the 18th Sunday after Trinity. Hugh very kindly stepped in at the last minute as Penny was unable to play, we wish her a speedy recovery.
After the service we had our AGM – thank you all for supporting and attending this, especially those who submitted reports and Helen who took the minutes so diligently.
Next Sunday we look forward to Fraser preaching as he marks 60 years of Reader ministry.
Notices for this week:
Tuesday 10am Prayer Group in the Garden Room.
Thursday 10am Said Eucharist followed by coffee in Friendship House
Sunday 23rd October – Sung Eucharist with a celebration of Fraser’s 60 years in Reader ministry
Readings for next Sunday – Last Sunday after Trinity – Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-end 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 Luke 18:9-14
Readings for this Sunday – Genesis 32:22-31 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8
As child we were encouraged to pray every night. And so, I can remember producing before God my wish list of desires with absolute reverence, believing with childlike simplicity that if I prayed enough eventually, they would all be granted. I can’t remember if any of them ever were, but it was certainly a good exercise in perseverance and faith.
This reminds me of a scene in the film Shawshank Redemption when Andy Dufrane, the protagonist, is put in charge of the prison library. He decides to improve the library’s decaying collection. He does this by writing a letter to the state government asking for funds. He is told he is wasting his time as they won’t respond. But Andy replies by saying he will write a letter every day until they do. And so, he does. He writes a letter every day for the next five years and then one day a large consignment of books arrives. The authorities tired of his daily letter had finally conceded.
The parable of the judge and the widow which we have just heard has this theme at its heart – the importance of persistence. Jesus is saying that some things can only be achieved by faithful dogged persistence. Persistence in prayer and prayer like this begins to shape how we pray. Prayer becomes more than just a passing whim; it becomes a real vocation.
The bible often uses the image of poor widows to signify vulnerability and dependency on God. And they were vulnerable. Widows in those days had a difficult time in Palestine – normally, the wife of a deceased husband had no legal right to inherit her husband’s estate. If her deceased husband had no children, the estate went to her husband’s male relatives. In this story we don’t know how the widow was being cheated, but her judge almost certainly wouldn’t have been on her side. She almost certainly wouldn’t have money for lawyers – she was probably desperate. But there is one thing we know about her – she was persistent.
And so, she had come to the judge many times and she didn’t take “no” for an answer. Instead, every time court was in session, there she would be asking for — demanding — the justice to which she was owed. Everyone in town would have known about her case. And she was clever. She knew if she kept quiet, things might settle down. But she kept on demanding justice, vocally, publicly, time after time, in the hope that public opinion may start to side with her, and the judge would give in. And she proves right – the judge does give in he decides to grant her what she was due – just to get rid of her.
But the point of this parable is if an unjust, selfish judge will see that justice is done in response to persistent requests, how much more will the just God bring justice to his own beloved people who pray constantly to him?
In Mathew’s gospel we are told chapter 6 “When you pray do not keep on babbling…..For your father knows what you need before you ask him”
But here in Luke we are being encouraged to articulate our cares and concerns to God. Not just once but persistently! The point here is it is faithfulness to God which provides the power of our prayers. “And yet when the Son of Man comes – will he find faith on earth?” Jesus asks .
Dark times comes to our world, as we know, and to all of us at times. Sometimes through our own foolishness but often from circumstances beyond our control. In our contemporary world with mass media and communications we are easily brought in touch with tragedies and disasters of all kinds. Personally, locally, nationally, and globally. Daily we keep on praying for justice peace and hope.
Just how many prayers have been said over the years for the Middle East? and now we pray for Ukraine. The world needs our prayers. and it certainly needs them now as we face political upheaval and uncertainty.
And so, we must persevere with our conversations with God, be persistent in our prayer life and never feel tempted to give up. In the words of the hymn writer Percy Dearmer
“We’ll go on with thee beside us
And with joy will persevere.”