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“A SEASON OF TURNING & HOPE” (10/24/10)

SCRIPTURES: Jeremiah 31: 27-34 & Luke 18: 1-8
KEY CONCEPTS: In the midst of challenging seasons of life, followers of Christ are still
called to believe in God’s promises & internalize integrity that will lead
them through the challenges they face.
OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
In a survey on religious beliefs & practices taken in February 2010, The Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life found the following realities with regard to prayer in the United States:
• 48% of adults under age 30 say they pray every day – compared with…
• 56% of Americans ages 30-49
• 61% of those in their 50s and early 60s,
• 68% of those 65 and older
Additionally, age differences in frequency of prayer are most pronounced among members of
historically black Protestant churches with
• 70% of those under age 30 pray every day, compared with
• 83% among older members
For Catholics
• 47% of Catholics under 30 pray every day, compared with
• 60% among older Catholics.
The differences are smaller among evangelical and mainline Protestants.
And it is also noted that people tend to pray more the older they get.
(Resource: http://pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx)

In today’s readings we are going to look at 3 key aspects of our spirituality.

Persistence in prayer
A theology of hope
Internalized Integrity

WILL YOU PRAY WITH ME? PRAYER:

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER:
Today’s reading from Luke, chapter 18, verses 1-8 does not react to the question of whether
prayers are answered or unanswered. Rather this parable is meant to teach the disciples
about being persistent in their prayers.
The parable offers us to unforgettable characters: a harsh judge with no conscience & a
widow who is poor, helpless, defenseless & in need of justice. EVERY day the woman
comes to seek justice – though we don’t know who has wronged her – & to ask the judge to
vindicate her against her adversary. Every day, she asks for justice. Every day, she shouts
aloud for justice. AND every day, the judge ignores her & her pleas for justice.
According to Jesus’ story, finally, the persistent widow wears the judge down & he grants her
justice. And then Jesus shifts the perspective & asks this key question:
“Will not God grant justice to His chosen ones who cry to God day & night?” (v. 7)
The issue here is justice, not using God to get what one wants or needs – unless, of course,
we understand that what God knows we need & what we think we need are not at all the
same thing. In many of our nation’s churches, a prosperity theology is preached that –
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instead of growing our persistence in prayer - causes us to seek greater & greater self-
gratification with a heightened emphasis on a self-centered ego, with little or no regard for the
true teachings of Christ that calls us to submit “all to God” as an act of reasonable worship.
By way of example, the early church certainly prayed for many things it didn’t receive: safety,
protection from persecution. However, the members of the early church did receive what they
needed: a sense of God’s loving presence, strength, resilience & fortitude to survive.
GENERAL APPLICATION:
If you want to see how your prayer life aligns with God’s will for your life…maybe you’ll want
to consider the question from v. 7: “Will not God grant justice to His chosen ones who cry
to God day & night?”
How often are you praying for justice? For yourself AND for other people?
How often are you praying for someone besides yourself?
How often are your prayers for situations with an overarching commitment to trust God to do
“what’s best for everyone involved, not just you” & can you accept “God’s will” even (&
especially) when it seems like a “no” answer to what you want?
THEOLOGY OF HOPE:
Our ability to trust God depending largely on what we truly believe about God not only when
life is going our way, but when life is terrible & we don’t see a way out of our dismal
circumstances.
In Jeremiah 31: 27-34, the prophet is seeking to offer consolation to the exiles still in Babylon.
As you may remember from last week’s lesson, the Jewish exiles were to be in captivity for
70 years. And today’s reading is to offer words of hope & encouragement during a dark &
dismal time.
• Even in the midst of pain, Yahweh promised a future of hope & meaning, brimming
with promise.
• Following the darkness of the earlier proclamation, Jeremiah lights a candle of hope
in chapters 30 & 31.
• Jeremiah’s theology is hopeful in that God’s new covenant will be one that is
unilaterally dependent on Yahweh’s faithfulness & not on human fidelity to God.
Jeremiah’s words go on to promise that God will NEVER abandon any of
us due to our disobedience. None of us is beyond God’s inclusion. No one!
INTERNALIZED INTEGRITY:
This new God-initiated covenant is no longer limited to an external list of rules & regulations.
The new covenant isn’t about doctrinal purity; rather it is about an internalized relationship
with God that is open to all people. The new covenant is within. Today’s reading is the only
reference in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) regarding this type of “new internalized
covenant” – although this idea is brought forth by New Testament writers.
Internalized integrity causes us to manifest our spiritual beliefs & worldview not merely in our
verbiage/words but also in our thoughts, minds, hearts & outward behavior. If internalized
means “what’s inside us that comes out”; then we need to acknowledge that integrity means
“honesty, truth, honor, authenticity, sincerity, uprightness & reliability”.
• As a follower/seeker of Christ, how honest are you? Do you keep your word?
• How reliable are you? Can people count on you?
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Living out what we say we believe is what creates internalized integrity & changes not only
us, but also our world.
Mature Christians – who are in relationship with God & God’s people – willingly embody
spiritual truths which then manifest in their daily lives through word, deed & action.
CONCLUSION:
In closing, God calls us to an internalized integrity as a result of our relationship in &
through Jesus Christ.
God offers us a theology of hope in our darkest days & in the most challenging times of our
lives. Plus a candle is most easily seen in the darkness. Jesus Christ, Our Hope (I Tim. 1:1)
And in remembering the importance of persistent prayer, we can count on God to come
down on the side of justice. Count on God to hear the ones who have no power, no
influence, no voice. Count on God to hear those who have nowhere else to turn. Count on
God not always to grant your requests, but to hear, with loving, parental patience, the
persistent prayers of your heart.