The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost - October 20

Perseverance
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Psalm 119:97-104
2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5
Luke 18:1-8

Perseverance seems to be the word of the day throughout today’s propers. Perseverance is a theme in the collect and in all of the Scripture readings for this Sunday. Perseverance.

It’s in the collect: Almighty and everlasting God… preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name…

The prophet Jeremiah is all about perseverance. As gloomy as he often is, his fundamental message is all about persevering in hope and in the confidence of God’s love for God’s people. He lived and prophesied in difficult times for the Hebrew people, and he certainly didn’t shy away from laying bare their plight or threatening the dire consequences of their lack of faithfulness or righteousness. But he never lost his conviction of God’s love for God’s own people. And in today’s reading he encourages them to persevere in hope. For the days are SURELY coming when a new covenant will be restored. The days are SURELY coming when God will plant seeds and God’s people will grow and flourish again. Persevere in hope.

At first glance, you may not see the theme of perseverance in the psalm. But I would say it embodied in the very psalm itself. Note that we read verses 97 – 104. It continues on through verse 176. Psalm 119 is the longest of the psalms and the longest chapter in the entire Hebrew Bible. It is an acrostic. Each letter of the Hebrew Bible, and there are 22, is given 8 lines of poetry, each of the 8 lines beginning with that letter. The eight verses we read together this morning are actually four lines of Hebrew poetry. So we read one half of one of the 22 sections in the acrostic.

Furthermore, one scholar writes: “The poetic language is highly formulaic and rather routine. It also should be said that some of the acrostic composition is mechanical… the text is repetitious and the language stereotypical…” Praying this psalm is an act of perseverance. And remember, the psalms have always been a part of worship. The people pray them together in worship.

We’ve been reading our way through 2 Timothy for several weeks. In today’s passage the author is winding up with final exhortations, including the charge: “Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable…” Be persistent in proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ. Persevere no matter what.

And the Gospel parable provides encouragement to persevere in prayer. Be persistent even in the face of disappointment. Do not hesitate to “bother” God with your prayers over and over and over again. Remember, Jesus says, God cares for you so much more than some atheist, unjust judge. God IS listening. The efficacy of your prayers may not come in the way or time that you might wish. But persevere in prayer.

Perseverance has been identified as a Christian virtue. In the Roman Catholic accounting, it is one of the seven virtues, although often described as “diligence.” It is the opposite of sloth.

Perseverence. It’s about not giving up. Not losing heart. Not letting indifference overcome you.

Persevere! All of these readings and prayers encourage us today to persevere. Just as they encouraged earlier people of faith to persevere.

Which leads me to consider another message that these readings offer to us, along with the general call to persevere. These readings remind us that God’s people… faithful people have found themselves in situations requiring perseverance… for ever. That’s worth remembering.

Jeremiah lived in the 6th century BC. The psalms are difficult to date; it may possibly be older than Jeremiah’s words. 2 Timothy and Luke of course come from the early days of the Christian church. The collect is derived from a liturgical work known as the Gelasian sacramentary. The oldest manuscript dates from the 8th century.

All of which is to say: We should not expect the Christian life, the life of faith, to be free of situations calling for perseverance. It never has been before. God’s people have always needed to persevere. The life of faith is not about our individual comfort or immediate happiness. It is about more than me and more than now.

Throughout the recorded history of faithful people, there have been times that try women’s souls. There have been times of social or political upheaval that threaten God’s people.

On a lighter note, the psalm reminds us that there have always been times in corporate worship that at least some people find boring or not edifying. Sometimes worship requires perseverance.

 Proclaiming the Gospel has always been challenging. And even Jesus’ immediate followers needed encouragement to persevere in prayer.

So we should not expect our own faith journey to be at all times easy, cheery or joyous. These reminders are probably especially important for us. We live in a highly individualized society. It’s all about me… my wants, my choices, my hopes, my rights. And, probably more than in any other time, we live with the expectation of instant everything. Not just instant gratification, instant everything. It’s about me. Now.

These lessons, taken as a whole remind us, that we should not expect the Christian life, the life of faith, to be free of situations calling for perseverance. It never has been.

So persevere, trusting in God’s abiding, unfailing presence and care. Persevere in faith.