Persistent Faith

Persistence. What does that mean for us in worship? Just the fact that we gather week after week when the community around us doesn’t see the point might be a part of that persistence. Too often, congregations feel the weight of failure because they aren’t growing or don’t have the right people or whatever signs that we sometimes think measure our faithfulness. But when we gather, few or many, week by week, we are holding fast to faith. We can celebrate that in worship. We can give God thanks for divine faithfulness, even as we offer our own faithfulness.

Week after week, we pray for God’s kingdom to come and for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we are a part of that working of will. As we pray that prayer, we are signing up again to be a part of the redeeming force at work, reconciling the world to God. It is a high calling, but we are up to it. Our presence attests to that. So, embrace the moment as you worship.

At the heart of this text is justice. Prayer, faith, and persistence are the tools to bring about God’s justice in the world. Justice work begins with awareness. What issues facing your community need addressing? What injustices are present in the congregation? How do we draw attention to these in healing ways? What advocacy work might we do as a congregation? What sanctuary might we provide in our faith gathering? These are questions without easy answers, but none can be resolved without prayer and worship. Call for discernment. Ask God to speak into the minds and hearts of those who have gathered. What is the role of the gathered worshipers in God’s great work of salvation and transformation? Where can we stand with the Spirit in our local community? How do we avoid being the unjust judge who refuses to listen to the cry for justice?

Celebrate the persistence of the worshiping community; lift up the persistent faith. But also declare that work continues and much more prayer - with words and with hands and feet - is needed.