Isaiah 45.22-25; Romans 15.1-6; Luke 4.16-24

There are some things that really don’t make sense.

Why, for instance, when we want to turn off our computers do we click our mouse on a button that says “start”?

Why do people who don’t have watches always look at their wrists when someone asks them the time?

Why do Dads buy toys for their children and then play with them themselves?

Why do people order a whopper burger and a large fries or a massive sticky pudding and then drink diet coke?

Why does St Paul tell the Romans to have hope when their life was pretty terrible?

There is a definite split between the Christians in Rome - those from Jewish backgrounds on one side against those of Gentile origins. There had been a number of expulsions by the Romans of the Jewish people from Rome, and it is quite probable that one of these expulsions during the reign of Claudius, was caused by the rise of Christianity.

Not long after Paul wrote Romans, Christians were being accused of all sorts of things by the Romans including incest and cannibalism. They were even, in the reign of Nero, labelled by some as “the enemies of the human race.” The early Christians suffered opposition, beatings, torture, a lack of job prospects and so on.

So, they were not living in a situation where hope would have been either easy or the obvious reaction. So, what does Paul mean by asking them to hope?

Here are some of the things that we might hope for:

“I hope it won’t rain today ‘cos we’d planned a long walk. It was so lovely yesterday.”

“I hope England wins the World Cup.”

“I really hope that Auntie Sue gets better.”

The thing about each one of those statements is that our hope is conditional. We can’t know that it won’t rain tomorrow until we live through that day. We can’t know that England will have practised hard enough or be talented enough to beat their opponents or whether the opposition will have a better match, though we can guess that South Africa might win. We can’t know whether Auntie Sue will recover but we can express our desire that she will.

Hope in Paul’s terms is something different. Hope for Paul is more about certainty than about uncertainty.
Paul’s hope is a certainty because it relies on the promises of God not on the vagaries of the weather or on human skills.

Paul’s hope is a certainty because it relies on the character of God not on the imperfections of the sinful humanity.

Paul’s hope is a certainty because it relies on the activity of God and not on the weakness of people.

And he knows about God through his own experience and through the pages of Scripture. For Paul, of course, Scripture meant the Hebrew Bible, what we know as the Old Testament. But I think we can apply his approach to our own Scriptures which includes the New Testament as well, and his Letter to the Romans from which we heard today.

I want us to think about verse 4 of chapter 15 for a bit. It says: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”

Two things stand out here: first that Paul saw Scripture as being written for our instruction; and second that the scriptures bring encouragement, which leads to hope.

As we think about the letter to the Romans, let us remember that it was written not as a systematic theology but as a letter responding to a particular situation in a particular time.

We can crudely divide the letter into three parts, with an introduction and an ending.

The first part looks at how Christianity arises out of Judaism, at why God sent Christ and how the Good News of Jesus works in practice.

Part two addresses the Jewish rejection of the Gospel, and how this does not mean that ultimately God’s promises will remain unfulfilled.

The third section looks at living out the Gospel i.e. its practical implications in Church, society and the home.

The verse that we are thinking about today comes from this final section, and, if we look closely at its context, we can see that it is set in a passage about how Christians who disagree with one another might learn to live in harmony. In this passage, Paul is not looking to Scripture as a source of doctrine but rather of inspiration and encouragement.

All Christians needs encouragement. God did not design us to go it alone. We’re not always very good at encouraging one another but it is quite a prominent theme in the New Testament. And not only can our encouragement come from each other but also from our Bibles.

And yet, so many of us struggle to read our Bibles outside church services. But the Bible is the beginning of the story which we are now living out. The Bible gives us encouragement because it tells us about God. It tells us about God’s character - how God is good, how God keeps his promises, how God is faithful to his people.

Our Bibles tell us also what God thinks about the human race - that each person has been created by God as unique and special, that God cares for us deeply, that God loves us. And the Bible outlines for us what God’s plan for creation is from beginning to end and beyond to eternity.

All these things are encouragements to us. But how much of that story do we know? If I had come into church this morning with a DVD and shown you five minutes from the middle of a film, it is very unlikely that you would know what was going on.

You might in five minutes gain a rough idea of who the characters were or the type of film - gangster, movie, western, romance, comedy and so on. But it would be very unlikely that you would be able to work out the complete story from just looking at five minutes of film.

And, yet, that’s what many of us do when we read the Bible. We hear certain parts in church on a Sunday morning; we might have favourite bits we read when we are in need of comfort; but many people never read the whole story.

And it’s not just a story of a load of people who lived a long time ago - the Bible story is our story, the story that we are continuing to write today, next week, next year. Of course, it’s our story because it’s God’s story and we are caught up in that drama, because God has chosen to make us part of that.

God’s story is a story of hope. However bleak and hard life might seem at times, the ultimate story of the Gospel is one of resurrection and hope and eternal life. The Bible reminds us of that. It reminds us of God’s faithfulness and God’s future for creation. It encourages us towards that hope. Let’s reminds ourselves of that verse: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”

A hope based not on the uncertainty of the weather or other people or politics or the economy but on God. A hope centred on God’s promises, God’s character, God’s faithfulness and God’s activity. A hope centred on the God who raised Jesus from the dead, and the God, who through the power of the Holy Spirit, can work in and through us to give us that deep sense of hope and joy that makes no sense in worldly terms, but that reminds us always that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom”.

(with thanks to the Bible Society for some of the ideas in this sermon which came from their Bible Sunday 2007 material)

Genesis 32.22-31; 2 Timothy 3.14-4.5; Luke 18.1-8

The scene: Tesco
The situation: a busy time when the shop is crowded
The characters: a mother and child

“Oh, please, Mum, please let me have that. It’s really good.”

“No, dear. Not today. You don’t need that.”

“But Mum. Everybody else has got one. I really do need it.”

“I’m sure not everyone else has it. And besides I’ve said no.”

“Oh, Mum. That’s not fair. Joe’s Mum bought him one, and Sam’s got one too. Why are you so mean?”

“I’m not mean. Stop moaning. We need to get on with our shopping, so that we can get home by the time Dad comes back from.”

“I hate you. (stamping foot) You never let me have anything. It’s so unfair - everybody has things, and you never give anything to me. You’re so mean and horrible. I hate you.”

This is a scene that is similar to what often happens with children. The mother has two options: to keep firm in her view that little Johnny really doesn’t need the latest television tie-in and to continue her shopping, or to give in to little Johnny because she can’t stand the fuss he’s making and she’s getting embarrassed by the scene in the middle of a busy supermarket.

The child is persistent and perseveres with his plea for what he wants.

I wonder how many of our prayers are a bit like that. Do we sometimes batter God with our requests for what we want, getting more and more frustrated when we don’t receive the answer we desire.

Luke’s parable is a difficult one. On first sight, we might assume that the judge represents God, except when we look more closely at his character. He is someone who has no respect for God nor for other people. He obviously has a lazy streak, since he doesn’t wish to fulfil his role as judge. He holds the power in this case, since his decision will hold sway. He is apathetic and faithless, and unwilling to carry out his duties.

So clearly Jesus is not saying the judge is God. This is one of those times, and there a number of them in the Bible, where the message is - if the bad, unjust person behaves like this, how much better God’s response will be.

God is not like the unjust judge, for God is faithful and just. God cares for the outcast and widow - we only have to remind ourselves of the words of the Beatitudes to see what values are those of God’s kingdom.

The widow is persistent. Her demand is for vindication. She desires justice against her opponent. The judge is not bothered about justice. All he wants is a quiet life, so, like the mother in the supermarket who gives into her child because she can’t stand the fuss any more, the judge gives in to the widow’s search for justice.

The judge has all the cards in his hand. Women did not usually go to court, since that was part of the world of men. The fact that this widow has gone to the judge herself for justice implies that she has no one else to speak on her behalf. She, as a widow on her own, would probably have been poor. But she ignores her status and the conventions of society in order to persevere and fight for justice.

She seeks vindication. Her faithful endurance in the end gives her the result that she wants.

But let’s think about what it is that she requires. The woman is after justice. What does justice mean? In the eyes of God, justice is much more than whether something is fair or not.

Justice is about the way we treat others, about how we view the children of God. Justice is the opposite of oppression. It’s about enabling people to be free to live in peace with the basic requirement of life. It’s about recognising that all people are equal in God’s eyes and living that out in how we deal with them It’s about living out the values of the kingdom of God about which Jesus taught so much.

If we think back to the words of the prophet Micah: what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God, we see that this affects us too. We are called to live lives that work and pray for justice.

There are many types of prayer, but at its heart prayer is about walking humbly with God. It’s about a relationship of love. It’s about helping us to attune ourselves to God’s ways and to put aside our own desires, which so often conflict with the ways of God.

This prayer of the widow is a prayer for justice. She is crying out, as many do, for  help. The judge heard her prayer only because he thought, if he answered, she would stop badgering him. God always hears our prayers. Unlike the judge, God’s desire is for justice.

And God will bring justice, the parable tells us. But we have a part to play. We need, as the widow was, to be persistent in our prayers for justice. We need to keep persevering with prayer, even when it feels as if God is not listening.

There are many things that can distract us from prayer. It’s all too easy to say we don’t have time - that’s a question of priorities. It’s all too easy to give up when we don’t feel that God is with us - but a relationship is about much more than how we feel. A relationship is about trust and faithfulness, not about how we feel inside.
The widow received her vindication, and when the Son of Man comes, all people will be judged by God. Will faith be found, Jesus asks his disciples. Will they continue loving and loyal and seeking justice? God’s justice will come.

Jacob was another who persevered with God. He was not looking forward to his encounter with brother Esau, and with good reason, for many years earlier he had cheated him out of his birthright. He has sent his wives and maids and children and everything he had on ahead of him across the stream where they spent the night, but he himself has stayed where he was.

His night is taken up wrestling with a shadowy figure, who he assumes is God. All night long they wrestle. It’s a strange fight for we are not told who wins. Jacob is left with a limp, but he’s still persevering. As day breaks, he asks for the man’s blessing.

Unlike the blessing he previously wrested away from his brother Esau, this is a blessing for him. It’s a blessing that enables him to continue his journey and face his brother Esau. Jacob has persevered and receive vindication.

What do these stories mean for us?

When the Son of Man comes, it will be faith that he is looking. There are so many things that distract us, but it is our responsibility whether we persevere or not. We have many helps - worshipping together, the prayers of others, fellow Christians with whom we can talk and share our faith, the Bible, study groups and so on. But so often we give up or push our faith to one side.

But the reward for persevering will be our vindication too. We will be granted justice when the Son of Man comes again. We will be released from the power of sin. The key to keeping our faith strong is, in the words of Luke, to pray always.

Prayer is the way that we communicate with God - both speaking and listening. It’s how our relationship with God grows and develops. If you feel yours isn’t going anywhere, ask yourself how much time you spend in prayer. For it is prayer that helps us to recognise the love of God and to respond to it. Prayer is our response to God’s love but it also helps us to deepen our awareness of God’s love and increase our love for God.

If the lazy judge listens to the widow, how much more will God listen to the cries of our hearts?

The Lord’s Prayer sums it up as well as any other words: thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. True justice is about God’s will; that is where our prayers should be aimed, so that we too can echo with deep felt sincerity the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: yet not my will but yours be done.

Sunday 28th October - Bible Sunday
9.00 a.m. Parish Communion, St Margaret of Antioch, Barley
10.30 a.m. Parish Communion + Junior Church, St Mary Magdalene, Barkway
5.00 p.m. Discover Sunday Party of Light (all-age worship), St Mary Magdalene, Barkway

Monday 29th October
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer, St Mary Magdalene, Barkway
7.45 p.m. Barkway VA First School Governors’ meeting

Tuesday 30th October
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer, St Mary Magdalene, Barkway
7.45 p.m. North Buntingford Group: The Very Revd Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans, speaking on St Mark’s Gospel, Rushden Village Hall

Wednesday 31st October
8.15 a.m Morning Prayer, St Margaret of Antioch, Barley

Thursday 1st November - All Saints’ Day
8.15 a.m Morning Prayer, St Mary’s, Reed
10.45 a.m. Holy Communion, Wheatsheaf Meadow House, Barkway
7.30 p.m. Service of remembrance and thanksgiving for the lives of those who have died, St Mary’s, Reed

Friday 2nd November
10.15 a.m. Church Mice (stories, songs and prayers for pre-school children), St Margaret of Antioch, Barley

Saturday 3rd November
9.00 a.m. Morning Prayer, St Margaret of Antioch, Barley

Sunday 4th November - All Saints’ Sunday
9.00 a.m. Parish Communion, St Margaret of Antioch, Barley
10.30 a.m. Parish Communion, St Mary’s, Reed
11 a.m. (-4.00 p.m.) Barley Christmas Market, Town House, Barley
6.00 p.m. BCP Evensong, St Mary Magdalene, Barkway

THE COMING MONTH
(Morning Prayer usually takes place each day: Monday and Tuesday in Barkway; Wednesday and Saturday in Barley and Thursday in Reed)

Tuesday 6th November
12 noon Deanery Chapter, Sandon Vicarage
2.15 p.m. Funeral of Leonard Bridge, Cambridge city Crematorium

Wednesday 7th November
10.30 a.m. Holy Communion, Margaret House, Barley

Thursday 8th November
10.30 a.m. (-1.30 p.m.) First incumbents meeting, Barton-le-Clay

Saturday 10th November
9.30 a.m. Barley PCC Mission Sub-Group meeting

Sunday 11th November - Remembrance Sunday
9.00 a.m. Holy Communion with act of remembrance, st Mary’s, Reed
10.40 Service of Remembrance, Barley, starts at War Memorial
10.45 Service of Remembrance, Barkway, starts at War Memorial

Saturday 17th November
a.m.  Church working party, St Mary Magdalene, Barkway

Sunday 18th November
9.00 a.m. Parish Communion, St Mary Magdalene, Barkway
10.30 a.m. Parish Communion, St Mary’s, Reed
10.30 a.m. CW Morining Prayer, St Margaret of Antioch, Barley
3.00 p.m. Baptism of Charlie Macintosh, St Margaret of Antioch, Barley

Monday 19th November
2.00 p.m. Ready and Waiting: Advent study course, The Rectory, Barkway
7.00 p.m. Barley VC School Governors’ meeting

Wednesday 21st November
8.00 p.m. North Buntingford Prayer Group, High Bank, Reed