Holy Persistence

If I’ve told you about my friend Paul before, just stop me. Paul and I attended Hendrix College together. Hendrix is a Methodist school, and while I remained devoted to the Episcopal tradition throughout college, I do have great affection for the Methodist Church, and it is largely thanks to Paul, who is a lifelong Methodist and now a pastor. Not long into Paul’s first year at Hendrix, and my third, he was shocked to learn that I did not attend worship services on campus. He invited me to join him. I explained to him that I was quite active in the local Episcopal Church, and not searching for any other spiritual home. 

Paul was unsatisfied, and he continued to press me to go with him to Wednesday evening worship at the campus chapel. We developed a lovely friendship, but I continued to decline his invitation. As the semester wore on, the exchange became quite tedious. I felt that Paul was disrespecting my spiritual journey by assuming that the worship habits I already had were insufficient, or that my Episcopal faith was less valid than his Methodism. Eventually, I couldn’t stomach the thought of one more “no thank you,” and I gave in. I accompanied Paul to a service. 

I know that the unjust judge in today’s Gospel parable is not someone we should emulate. But I relate to him so deeply. I know what it feels like to be pestered to within an inch of my composure. I imagine that anyone who has spent much time with a toddler knows what I mean. Persistence can be absolutely obnoxious, but it can useful, too. It has worked on me and it certainly worked on the unjust judge. It also comes up a few chapters earlier in Luke, in the parable of the friend at midnight. You know the one. A homeowner has already gone to bed when the doorbell rings. They try to turn the visitor away but because they just will not leave, the homeowner relents and welcomes the visitor inside.

Luke seems to have something to say about persistence. He wants us to understand that persistence, as obnoxious as it can be, has an important place in the Kingdom of God. Jesus offers today’s parable as an illustration for his disciples about their need to pray always. If this stubborn, cold, unjust judge will eventually give in to a persistent widow, imagine how our loving and gracious God will enter into the lives of those who cry out in prayer day and night. 

In the last 2000 years, Christians have come to a variety of theological understandings of prayer. Some believe that God responds directly to individual prayer requests. Others believe that prayer is a tool for fortifying the faith of those who pray. Still others believe that prayer opens up a space for God’s mysterious grace to be revealed. I suspect the deepest truth of prayer contains a facet of all of these ideas and many more. But Jesus is clear, regardless of how or why we pray, our faith will be rewarded for our persistence. No matter how uncomfortable or rudimentary or even obnoxious we find the practice, the result will be worth it. 

I am reminded of all the times in my life, and there are surely many, when I have gotten all the way to the final lines of the Nicene Creed during Eucharist only to realize that I’ve been lost in thought the whole time and have no recollection of actually reciting the words, though I know I did. I used to feel quite guilty for not being fully present and focused on worship every single time I attend a service. But that’s a very unrealistic goal, and the truth is, the Holy Spirit doesn’t need our constant presence and focus to do its work in our hearts. It needs our persistence. 

I have come to trust that because I say the words of the Nicene Creed so often, they are part of me. They do their work on me whether I’m in the mood for worship or just going through the motions. The same is true for all of our worship. The more we do it, the more it forms us, even on our off days, when we reach the end of the Nicene Creed and aren’t quite sure how we got there. As our letter to Timothy says, we must be persistent in prayer and worship whether the time is favorable or unfavorable, for that is how the Holy Spirit will enter our hearts and increase our faith. 

Not only does our persistent worship strengthen our personal faith, it is the foundation from which our common life together grows. We are a thriving, vibrant church that offers love and beauty and aid to our community. We celebrate the arts, we feed the hungry, we study and question and learn from one another, and we feast in glorious fellowship together. And those offerings and opportunities only work, this church family only works, because we worship together persistently. And when our personal prayer lives struggle, as they all do, the prayers said aloud in this room by these fellow worshippers support us and carry us through. 

I will be the first to admit that Sunday mornings are hard. I love my job, but I hate my Sunday morning alarm. I also often wish I could just wear my yoga clothes to worship. By the way, you are all invited to wear comfortable clothes to worship. I will continue to dress professionally since, you know, I work here. Also, I miss Sunday brunch so much. But I know that no matter how obnoxious I find that nagging 6am alarm, I will give into it, just like the unjust judge. Even though we have two other priests who can do my job, I will get up and put on my clergy collar and come to worship, because I know that my persistence in doing so will strengthen my own faith and contribute to our common life at Christ Church. 

Now, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten to finish my story about Paul. As you might have guessed, when I finally joined him for a Wednesday evening Methodist worship service…I absolutely loved it. It was so wonderful to hear songs and prayers that were unfamiliar but also inspiring. It was a joy and a comfort to worship alongside friends with whom I’d never worshipped before. It was the perfect way to end the day and mark the middle of the week. I became a regular, and to my surprise, Paul never mentioned my initial hesitance again, nor did he ever suggest I leave the Episcopal Church. 

These days, I cringe when I think back on how quick I was to judge Paul’s persistence. And it still warms my heart to remember that he was so pleased to worship and pray with me that it didn’t occur to him to be smug. Paul taught me the value of persistence in the Kingdom, and this incredible congregation continues to show me how persistence can make space for the Holy Spirit to come among us. Jesus said that we have a need to pray always. I am grateful for all the ways that this place fulfills our needs. Amen.