Living a Persistent Faith: Final Sermon as Pastor of Metro Hope Church
Luke 18:1-8 (TFET)
1 Jesus told the disciples a parable on the necessity of praying always and not losing heart: 2 "Once there was a judge in a certain city who feared no one-not even God. 3 A woman in that city who had been widowed kept coming to the judge and saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4 For a time the judge refused, but finally the judge thought, 'I care little for God or people, 5 but this woman won't leave me alone. I'd better give her the protection she seeks, or she'll keep coming and wear me out!"
6 Jesus said, "Listen to what this corrupt judge is saying. 7 Won't God then do justice to the chosen who call out day and night? Will God delay long over them? & I tell you, God will give them swift justice. 8 “But when the Promised One comes, will faith be found anywhere on earth?"
So here we are Metro, the last Sunday in which I'm preaching as a pastor of this congregation, a very beautiful community of people rooted in the belief of justice, faith and fellowship as being markers of the faith… Hopefully, it will not be the last time ever. So this will be it for a while… a last word… a last reminder… or as the great prophet of Detroit J Dilla might title it, “the last donut of the night”... that was the first hip hop reference of the day, there will be others.
Obviously it's very momentous for me, I've been reflecting on my journey at Metro for the last 11 years, almost all 11 years participating in preaching and teaching in the church, and holding some sort of pastoral role, and so I have been thinking and journaling and meditating all about what I would say today…
But a sermon's true focus, regardless of who delivers it, should never be the preacher. Instead, every message must aim to deliver a word of faith and hope, a practical encouragement for the community as they face the week, the rest of the day, or even just tomorrow. So that's what I pray that I am able to offer today. Let us pray:
Lord, open my lips and open our minds, that we may hear what your Spirit wants to say to us today. Amen.
So, I was really hyped when I saw the schedule and saw that I would preach on the day this Gospel text is read to us. This text feels really appropriate at this moment, both culturally and theologically. It’s “the parable of the persistent widow.” That's the title that I prefer, if you have another Bible sometimes it will be titled differently. Some translations title it: “the parable of the judge and the widow,” sometimes they only focus on the judge, which I think is just a weird macho thing to do, sometimes they try to do other things to take the focus away from the widow, but the focus of this parable is the widow. Don't let any of the titles fool you, the judge is not the focus here, he's just a foil for the widow.
So, what information about this text may be helpful for us as we delve into it? Especially for the theological/biblical nerds like me out there.
Well, this text is a parable that appears only in Luke, as you may know there are many parables in scripture. There is no perfect definition, but generally speaking Parables, as defined in the Oxford dictionary of christianity are “a wide-range of sayings used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.”
Some of them are repeated in all four gospels, some are only in two and so on and so forth. This one only appears in Luke and this one is part of a series of parables in which Luke posits a woman as the central character: “There is also a noticeable tendency in this Gospel to defend, reassure, and praise women. Luke refers to widows more frequently than do the other Gospels (2:37; 4:25-26; 7:12; 18:3, 5; 20:47; 21:2-3), often in passages that presup-pose their economic helplessness in a male-dominated society.”
Feminist theologians actually believe the Gospel of Luke is one of the most feminist gospels in scriptures, it features a number of women characters holding primary roles of faith in the world.
It is also one of the only parables that includes three components that help us understand any parable.
The writer of Luke somehow included a short description of the parable that we see in verse one.
It includes a clear narrative of someone wronged and someone who is the antagonist to that person,
and then it also includes an explanation of the parable by Jesus where he explains what it means.
Really interesting. Most parables don't have all of that, and Metro may remember this because when we did a series on the parables a few years ago, some were quite difficult to understand and interpret and preach from. I remember the teaching team sharing how tough the series on the parable was.
Ok, one last thing about this one, it’s a parable that a lot of the early church and the reformers really liked; people like Augustine, Athanasius, Luther, those folks loved it and found it specifically poignant. As some of you know when I I prepare for sermons I read a bunch of commentaries, so I read what the ancient Church fathers and mothers said, what the desert fathers and mothers said, what the reformers said, what modern people say, what rappers say, and the early church fathers and the reformers really like this parable, the idea of being persistent in prayer and the idea of not giving up was something that has been a part of our faith tradition for a really long time and it is much more poignant in moments like the one we are in now. This is what St. Ephrem the Syrian said about this text:
“If we persist in prayer, we should be even more able to prevail on the grace and justice of God to give us fruit that agrees with their nature. Let justice vindicate us, and let grace refresh us. Accordingly, the fruit of justice is the just reward of the oppressed, while the giving of refreshment to the afflicted is the fruit of grace.”
So, this is an important parable. It features a persistent widow seeking justice from a judge who, according to the text, is a "bad guy": someone with no regard for God or people. The judge initially refuses. However, the story takes a fascinating turn: the judge finally relents because he either fears physical harm (the Greek text mentions fearing a "black eye" or a slap in the face) or simply wants to avoid public shame. His decision is driven by self-preservation, saying, "fine, I'll do her justice."
And then Jesus defines the parable and says “if this judge did her justice, won't God do much more for us?” and then asks another really good question. “Will the son of man, the messiah, the promised one, find faith like this on the earth?”
So now we have the full parable in the way that it speaks.
There are many things that I think are important for us to draw on here. This parable is a parable that encourages us to talk about the cost of discipleship, as Deitrich Bonhoeffer would say. About what faith really means for us as disciples and followers of Christ. Jesus, often in the book of Luke, is often saying that faith is not always gonna be easy.
Metro, faith is a challenging journey. Answering Christ's call to discipleship and striving to spread love "the Brooklyn way" is not easy because it constantly pushes against the world's opposing currents.
In this passage, we encounter the widow who simply seeks a fair trial, a just hearing. We have no insight into the circumstances of her case, the events that led to her situation, or any of the specific details. We know nothing about the case itself.
The specific details of her case aren't the central issue. What's crucial is her commitment to demanding justice. She believes it is her right to demand it and, despite knowing she may not receive it, refuses to give up. This is a powerful, yet difficult, perspective. Have we ever considered how tough that posture is: "I'm demanding justice for something, and I know I may not get it, but I absolutely refuse to surrender?"
I need a judge to do something for me. And I'm not talking about a situation like losing a rap battle and then suing to try to sway public opinion and then losing that lawsuit… that’s not the kind of persistence I am talking about.
I'm talking about a deep-seated conviction: knowing in your heart that you need and deserve justice right now, and choosing to keep fighting for it even when the systems are against you. Metro, I know that resonates with us, because we are a congregation dedicated to serving the world and all the people within it.To our visitors and those joining online, you are people who contribute to the world. As a church dedicated to serving those who serve the world, we recognize the frequent need for persistence in our prayer life and our calls for justice. It is the only path forward, yet it is a demanding one.
And because it is a demanding one, we have to make sure we are deepening our inner lives. Luke uses the example of the persistent widow to show us that prayer is not passive; it requires grit and unwavering faith. Her struggle illustrates a core truth: life's battles won't be easy. Therefore, we must cultivate strong faith and persistent action in our own calls for justice or help. But strong faith doesn't just appear, metro, we have to work at it. It’s a muscle we have to flex, and it starts by noticing things within us that may need persistence. We can do this by identifying the specific systems and struggles we continuously fight against in our lives.
Persistent faith involves a dual struggle: an internal battle against personal insecurities, narratives or any personal issues and an external fight against systemic barriers that restrict access to power.
The great mystic Howard Thurman describes the job of the contemplative as a sacred struggle to remove the obstacles that prevent people from accessing a conscious connection with the Divine. This is precisely what we, as people of faith, are called to do. But before we can effectively champion others, we must champion ourselves. As Jesus taught, "First remove the plank from your own eye." Otherwise, our external work is futile and performative. Our persistence must be paired with making sure we do the deep work within ourselves, or we forget the foundational truth, as stated by that great Prophet from New Jersey, Lauryn Hill:
"How you gonna win when you ain't right within,"
We understand that we are called to be advocates for the "widows" in our world, those who are marginalized, unheard, and systematically silenced. We must do work within ourselves to make sure our faith is strong. And so we can use all we have available to us, any level of privilege to relentlessly fight, claim, and persist for those who lack a voice.
So, this is where we do things a little differently at Metro. If you're visiting and you're new to our style, this might throw you off, but we believe the sermon is a conversation, not a monologue.
So, for those of you coming from more traditional churches, please don't freak out: you are about to talk to your neighbor! Turn to those next to you in your circle. For the next few minutes, we want you to answer this question:
Who are the “widows” in our communities, the people who long for and beg for justice and mercy?
Let's discuss it for a few minutes.
Metro, the "widows" are all around us. They are the countless people who are persistently seeking justice against overwhelming odds. While some may struggle to maintain the faith required for persistence, many others demonstrate incredible endurance.
Nigerian theologian Samuel Oyin Abogunrin says it thusly:
“Under tyrannical governments in different parts of the world, bringing forth the justice to be actualized fully with the coming of the Son of Man will require tenacious and obstinate prayer both by the mistreated and excluded and by those standing in solidarity with them.”
I'm thinking of global movements: Indigenous communities fighting to protect their land, water, and air rights from corporate encroachment. I recently watched a documentary called Sacred Earth about a community in Peru that sued a multinational corporation. Although they lost their initial case, the International Court's ruling provided a path for future victories by showing them how to restructure their legal arguments. This persistence, even in defeat, is inspiring. I'm also reminded of those who relentlessly fight for people being illegally detained or abducted.
Persistence takes many forms, Metro, and that is the core lesson of this parable. That is the heart of discipleship.
Discipleship isn't about an uninterrupted ascent "from glory to glory" or constantly achieving higher heights. While that feel-good narrative is popular, it fundamentally misrepresents the reality of deep faith.
The true reality of being a disciple, someone who loves the world and acts with empathy, is the struggle. As Palestinian theologian Mitri Raheb puts it, it's about: "having faith in the face of Empire." This is precisely what the parable calls us to do, really to be: to be people whose faith persists in the face of injustice.
Dr. Stephanie Buckhannon Crowder says it like this:
“Luke shows how important it is that people initiate the call for justice. When we call, we expect God to answer. When we cry out, we anticipate divine response. In God's kindom the social politics shift social power dynamics by valuing those considered the least and ensuring their wellbeing. In the words of activist Fannie Lou Hamer, ‘nobody's free until everybody's free’."
The widow's persistence was fueled by her unwavering cause, she knew exactly what justice she demanded. She kept pleading, pleading, and pleading. Perhaps she even threatened the judge, who finally gave in out of annoyance or fear. Whatever the specific tactic, she was, as Chuck D would say “a rebel without a pause”, someone who believed in justice as a pathway for liberation.
That is what the widow shows us, persistence as a spiritual practice.
So, Metro, our question now is: How do we make the widow’s persistence our daily practice? How do we relentlessly call for justice, even when the surrounding injustice feels deafening and incredibly tiring? Even when God seems unresponsive? Even when what we hear is that we won't win? As Talib Kweli once said:
“it’s hard to be a spiritual being when things is shakin' what you believe in”
It’s draining to assert that Black Lives Matter only to face the constant reminder that by this society and others that, as yasiin bey (Mos Def) once observed:
"the length of black life is treated with short worth."
Despite this exhausting reality, we are compelled by our faith not to stop. Our discipleship demands that we continue to fight for justice, singing our song of resistance even when our throats are weary.
This kind of tenacious faith is beautifully articulated in the poetry of the great Episcopal priest, lawyer, and civil rights activist Pauli Murray; their poem, which will be read by our very own Liz, is a beautiful reminder of this.
Dark Testament: Verse 8 by Pauli Murray
Hope is a crushed stalk
Between clenched fingers
Hope is a bird’s wing
Broken by a stone.
Hope is a word in a tuneless ditty —
A word whispered with the wind,
A dream of forty acres and a mule,
A cabin of one’s own and a moment to rest,
A name and place for one’s children
And children’s children at last . . .
Hope is a song in a weary throat.
Give me a song of hope
And a world where I can sing it.
Give me a song of faith
And a people to believe in it.
Give me a song of kindliness
And a country where I can live it.
Give me a song of hope and love
And a brown girl’s heart to hear it.
See, Metro, even a great figure like Pauli Murray understands that we will have weary throats. The fight for justice is never easy, but it's essential. We persist not to gain approval from people, but because this persistence is the shape of the Kin-dom.
This parable is preceded by a message about the kin-dom. When questioned about the Kin-dom's arrival, Jesus said it wouldn't be something you could point to externally. Rather, He said, "The Kin-dom of God will be among you," some translations say "within you." That King-om of God within us is our persistence, Metro. It is how we make the Kin-dom visible: by praying and protesting, by relentlessly calling for justice for people around us, and by acting with integrity even in small matters.
The Kin-dom does not arrive when a social media trend says that the second coming will be tomorrow or when wars break out all over the world, as some would have us believe. The Kin-dom comes when we actively bring it with our actions, our words, and our tenacious lives, our persistent and active prayer. The Kin-dom comes when we persist, spread love, and stand with the least of these.
Namibian theologian Paul John Isaak says:
“The parable teaches us both the necessity of persistence on our part and the reality of God's mercy, for God is a God of the poor and needy, and of widows and children. Consequently, uncertainty and doubt about the possibility of salvation, political liberation, reconciliation and economic justice are clearly camouflaged heresy. Uncertainty can easily become a place of refuge, in which we seek to be protected from the winds of change. But salvation, political freedom and economic justice must be proclaimed decisively. The fact that God became incarnate gives us confidence that he sides with the afflicted, the oppressed and the desperate and plans to exalt them”
It is not easy; but we must persist because these are not normal times. As yasiin bey (Mos Def) reminds us: "Yo! This ain't no time where the usual is suitable." We know this because we are living it.
Metro, my final charge to you is to keep the faith and keep working on it. Scripture assures us in Hebrews, "We are not those who shrink back and are lost; we are those who have faith and are saved." We must hold onto this faith, especially in the darkest moments. We must persist and persist, because by that persistence, we are slowly, actively bringing God’s Kin-dom into the world.
Let us heed the prophet of Queens, Q-Tip:
"So raise up squire, adjust your attire / We have no time to wallow in the mire."
Perhaps this is precisely the kind of faith Jesus wonders if he will find on his return (verse 8); a faith that demands justice in a world coursing with injustice, a faith that persists in seeking life even in systems ruled by the forces of death, a faith that lives as if God’s promises will be fulfilled today.
So we don't have time to wallow, metro. We must be persistent. We have to be the ones who bring justice to the dead places of our world. Q-Tip later in that song says:
“I don't really mind if it's over your head / cause the job of resurrectors is to wake up the dead” we are the resurrectors, those who wake up the dead!
That is the faith our world, our nation, our city, our neighborhoods, and our very selves need, Metro. Let us go forth and be faithful, proclaiming God’s Kin-dom by being persistent in our calls for justice, and as St. Oscar Romero said:
“Today’s gospel tells us that this perseverance will bring victory not through violence but through prayer and confidence in God.”
I invite you, siblings in Christ, to make your lives and our church rooted in prayer and confidence. Amen.
Let us pray.
Gracious and loving God, we come to you as your chosen ones, trusting in your justice and your power. We are like the widow in the Gospel, facing a world that can feel indifferent. We ask that you grant us the persistence of the widow to pray without ceasing, and not to lose heart. Strengthen our faith, especially when our prayers seem to go unanswered or when we feel unheard. May we develop the inner resilience we need to be persistent and may you help us bring your kindom everywhere we go, by our faith. We pray these things in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Metro, go forth and show the Kin-dom in the world by having a persistent faith. May we ask of God even more than what the widow demanded, justice for all, peace for all the earth, an inbreaking of God’s Kin-dom. May we remember that we bring forth God’s Kin-dom even when it might seem difficult to do so.
and
May God give us the grace never to sell ourselves short; Grace to risk something big for something good; and Grace to remember the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but love.
and
May we spread love, the Brooklyn way, the Harlem way, the Jesus way.
Amen.
