“And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Let us pray:
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations and thoughts in all our hearts be acceptable to you O Lord our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Jesus tells this parable “to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” That’s how Luke introduces the story, right up front, we’re told the purpose. Persistence in prayer. Faith that endures. A heart that refuses to let go of hope.
It’s a simple story: a widow, powerless and overlooked, keeps coming to a judge who “neither feared God nor respected people.” Day after day, she shows up. She doesn’t have wealth, connections, or status, only determination. And finally, the judge gives in: “Because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice so that she won’t wear me out by her continual coming.”
Then Jesus turns the story back to us:
If even an unjust judge can be moved by persistence, how much more will our loving God respond to the cries of His people?
In the first century, widows were among the most vulnerable people in society. Without a husband or adult sons advocating for them, they had few legal rights and little protection. So, when Jesus tells this story, His listeners immediately understand that this woman has no one on her side.
But she refuses to be silent. She demands to be heard. Her persistence isn’t just stubbornness; it’s faith in action. She believes that justice is possible, even in an unjust world. She believes that her voice matters, even when society tells her it doesn’t.
That’s where faith begins, not in having all the answers, but in trusting that God still hears, still sees, still acts.
Paul writes to Timothy at the end of his life. He is in prison, isolated, and facing execution. The energy of his missionary journeys was behind him, but his faith burned as fiercely as ever.
And so, he writes to his young friend and co-worker in the faith, Timothy, a kind of last letter. A mentor passing the torch to a student. A pastor giving his final charge to the next generation of leaders.
And what does he say?
“Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed.”
“Proclaim the message.”
“Be persistent.”
“Keep your head.”
“Endure hardship.”
“Do the work.”
“Carry out your ministry fully.”
Paul reminds Timothy that his faith didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was passed down from his grandmother Lois, his mother Eunice, and the Scriptures he had known since childhood.
Faith doesn’t begin in isolation; it’s nurtured in community. Someone taught us to pray. Someone opened a Bible and read us stories of hope. Someone showed us by example what love looks like in practice.
Paul is saying: Don’t forget where you came from. Don’t forget who shaped your faith.
In a world that constantly changes, faithfulness often means staying grounded, remembering the roots that keep us anchored when everything else feels uncertain.
One of the most complicated decisions of my life was to leave the Church that had ordained me. I had served for 12 years in one place, and it felt like home. I loved the people and the work we did.
We had started a meal program where we offered a meal three times a month in our parish hall for free. We fed an average of 80 people three times a month. We were meeting a need not only to feed people but to give people a sense of community. A place where they felt welcomed and loved. A simple meal around a table where people could come and find rest.
But there was something more, something pulling me away, a restlessness in my soul.
The Orthodox Christian Church is not very progressive in its theology or practice. I guess you don’t get to call yourself Orthodox if you change, but a little movement would have been nice.
I struggled with my sense of mission. I struggled with the exclusiveness of Orthodoxy with this idea that you had to belong to the club. Sure, you could watch, but you could not fully participate unless you joined up. The more Scripture I read, and the more I prayed, the more I was led away from the comfort that had become my life.
When I joined the United Church of Christ, I promised myself that I would never compromise my beliefs again, I would preach what God placed on my heart, and it was not always easy. I know I have lost out on several positions because of my positions, but something else, something better has always come along. The UCC helped me to find my voice, and I cannot let that go.
There are going to be times when what I say shakes your beliefs to the very core, and there will be times when you find comfort. I think what is lacking in the Church today is the courage to say what needs to be said, regardless of the consequences. Jesus preached a consistent message of love, and that message cost him his life.
There are way too many of my colleagues who play it safe. Stay away from the difficult conversations. Sure, they might be loved by their congregations, but are they preaching God’s Word, or are they watering it down so it is palatable? I am not called to be Chaplain to the empire; I am called to be a holy disruption. God’s Word is meant to soothe, but it is also meant to flip over tables of injustice.
The Church of the 21st century does not need warriors armed for battle. The Church of the 21st century needs Prophets, Mystics, and people who will speak the truth regardless of the consequences. Church history is lined with people who were martyred by empire because they preached the love of Jesus and would not be silenced.
Backing down when opposition comes is cowardly and not Christian.
And where does this strength come from? From Paul writing to Timothy with one of his most powerful charges:
“Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable.”
In other words: Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Don’t wait until people are ready to listen. Preach the truth, with grace, with humility, but with courage.
Because there will be seasons when the message is welcomed, and seasons when it’s not.
There will be times when people crave the gospel, and times when they turn to “itching ears,” preferring comfort over conviction.
But the call doesn’t change. We are to proclaim the Word in hospitals, classrooms, barracks, pulpits, nursing homes, living rooms, and anywhere hope needs to be spoken.
Faithfulness means speaking truth in love, even when it’s hard, even when it’s inconvenient, even when no one applauds, even when it costs you a position.
Paul goes on to say, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
For Paul, Scripture isn’t a relic; it’s living, breathing, active. It shapes character, forms conscience, and guides decisions. Scripture needs to be looked at, re-examined, and used in our modern context; these are ancient stories with a contemporary, practical application, but we must look for it.
Paul does not see Scripture as a weapon or a rulebook. Paul sees Scripture as a source of transformation. The purpose isn’t to win arguments, it’s to become “equipped for every good work.”
It’s not about mastering the Bible; it’s about letting the Bible master us.
In a noisy world filled with slogans, soundbites, and endless opinions, the Word of God gives us something more profound, a steady truth that shapes how we live, how we love, and how we lead.
We do not bring about the Kingdom of God by force; we bring about the Kingdom of God by love. Jesus came into the world not to create an empire. If God wanted a Christian Nation, God would simply have created one.
When Jesus sent the disciples out to preach and teach, he was clear in his message. If they do not accept you or the Word, walk away. When the disciples asked if they should rain down fire on that town, Jesus was, once again, evident. He told them no. Just walk away.
We preach and teach and let the Word fall where it may. We do not force conversions; our ancestors in faith, the early missionaries, tried that, and they destroyed cultures. The desire to have a society rooted in God’s love where we care for each other and treat each other equally, regardless of belief, is fine. But, when our desire turns to a Christian Nation where we use the force of legislation and goons wearing masks, that is when the love of Jesus disappears and is replaced by something altogether different.
One of the lessons I learned, and one of the reasons I walked away from my first Church, was the discovery that one does not have to be a Christian, or even a believer, to be a good person. It is not the man Jesus that saves us or makes us good people; it is the Word, following the teachings, loving our neighbor, and wanting our neighbor to flourish as much as we do.
Empire tried to nail that truth to the cross, but the message of love transcends empire, and love won the day and continues to win the day.
At the end of the parable, Jesus asks a haunting question:
“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” Notice he said faith and not practice.
Not faith as belief in an idea, but faith as persistence, a lived, practiced, enduring trust.
Will he find people still praying for peace, even when war rages on?
Will he find people still working for justice, even when systems resist change?
Will he find people still believing in goodness, mercy, and love, even when the world grows cynical?
That’s the kind of faith Jesus is talking about, not flashy faith, not instant faith, but long faith. The faith that keeps coming back, day after day, to say, “God, I’m still here. I still believe.”
Paul’s words to Timothy are God’s words to us today:
Continue in what you’ve learned.
Stay rooted in Scripture.
Proclaim the message.
Be persistent.
Endure.
Finish the race.
The world needs people who won’t give up on truth, hope, and love, who will keep the faith, even when it’s hard.
So, brothers and sisters, whatever your calling, whether you preach, teach, serve, visit, or simply live as a witness, keep the faith.
And when your race is done, may you be able to say with Paul:
“I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.”
Amen.
