Sermon: "Christian Perseverance"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

Some years ago, I read about something that I found to be interesting ... and perhaps you will too. The subject of this article was a brewery. But I suppose it's all right to talk about a brewery in an Episcopal sermon. Anyway, this brewery is in Dublin, Ireland.

The workers in this place of business used to have long arguments about individual feats and achievements. Of course, that is not unusual because people brag about accomplishments all the time. And the work place is not immune to such conversations. What is unusual in this case, though, was the way this particular group dealt with their arguments. They decided that they needed some authoritative reference to settle their disputes. And so, they collected information about winners of all kinds of contests. Then, they named this collection after the company where they worked - the Guinness Brewery. And in that way, The Guinness Book of World Records came into being.

Now, most of us know something about what that book contains - almost any world record that you could think of. And many of us know people who have set out to break one of those records. They pile into a phone booth or an old Volkswagen. They hold their breaths. They kiss while rocking. They eat pies. They do all sorts of crazy and unlikely things. And most of them have to try and try and try again. And the object is to be listed in this grouping of world records, named after a brewery in Dublin, Ireland.

The people whose names are found in The Guinness Book of World Records are a testimony to human perseverance. They try and try, and then at last, they make it. That process indicates the theme for today's Bible readings - perseverance. . . trying, and trying, and trying again, at some task.

Most all of us know that perseverance is a requirement for coping with life. We must persevere as we face recuperation from illness or injury. We persist in relationships which can be trying and difficult. We keep the faith, even in the face of temptation and doubt and disappointment. We take one day at the time, as we persevere in doing what we must do. And our Bible readings today all point to this theme.

The Old Testament passage from Genesis provides a particular case. We read there of Jacob's wrestling with God's angel. In that encounter, Jacob fought with the person referred to as "a man" in order to obtain his blessing. And, by means of his perseverance, Jacob prevailed. Next in the story this messenger from God asked Jacob his name, in order to bless him. However, the messenger changed Jacob's name to "Israel", which means "one who struggles with God," or "God struggles." Both interpretations apply, for Jacob struggled with God in this story. Then, too, Israel became the father of 12 sons - representing the 21 tribes of the nation of Israel - and on behalf of those tribes, God continually struggled.

Surely, perseverance represents a primary theme of this reading from Genesis. Jacob persevered in his wrestling with God's angel. And then, God persevered in his struggles in support of the tribes of the nation of Israel.

The reading from St. Paul's Letter to Timothy contains the practical advice of someone who has experienced a good deal of life, given to someone else who is just starting his work. At the time of writing, St. Paul was under arrest, never to leave again on another of his famous missionary journeys. But Timothy was much-beloved by St. Paul, and in fact, Timothy had been designated as one who would carry on St. Paul's work. And to Timothy, St. Paul wrote words of encouragement. The real crux of this passage - and indeed, of the entire letter - is found at the outset. At a basic level, St. Paul's message to Timothy is found right at the first: "As for you, continue ..." (3:14). That's Paul's instruction: "Continue." He uses other terms to emphasize the point: "be persistent"; "convince, rebuke, and encourage, with utmost patience"; and "endure." But, you get the point, as I suppose Timothy did as well.

Then, thirdly, that puzzling reading from St. Luke's Gospel presents much the same theme. Jesus told this parable about an unrighteous judge. It seems that judges in that day - or at least, many of them - had all the wrong motives for doing anything. For instance, they dispensed so-called justice only to those who paid for it. The widow in the parable could not pay the judge to hear her complaint, and so he had no intention of listening to her. However, she was persistent ... she persevered. And finally, she wore down the judge. He did what was right. That is, he vindicated the widow by means of the law. But he did so for the wrong reasons. He was not concerned with justice at all. Rather, what he cared about was money ... and, in this case, some relief from the widow's nagging.

Jesus' point in the parable is that if an unrighteous judge does what is right, then how much more will the righteous judge - God - do so. It is a parable of contrast. That is, if even this man - with all the wrong motives - does the right thing, then how much more likely is it for God to do the right thing. Therefore, the clear message is to persevere in prayer to God. Or, as St. Luke puts it, "Jesus told the disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart" (18:1).

Life itself can be a test of perseverance at times. Add a few tragedies and special challenges and bumps in the road, and the test takes on a different quality - a more severe one. But one of the truly amazing things about the human spirit is the ability to endure - to persevere - especially when tested. That human spirit is informed and enriched and strengthened by the divine Spirit. And therefore, our capacity for endurance extends far beyond our own resources. Our ability to persevere exceeds that which we can provide alone.

The strength to persevere, therefore, is sustained by the divine Spirit of God, which dwells in each one of us. That Spirit gives us an inner sense of rightness, of mission, and of conviction ... all of which manifest themselves in dedication and perseverance. Thus, with God's help, we are able to endure and to persevere far beyond our limits.

In summary, then, the idea of perseverance is part of the fabric of our history as God's people. Such perseverance is essential to who we are as a community of faith ... and to the way we have gotten here. In addition to our Lord himself, we have other examples in the faith who have shown us this way. Indeed, we will remember some of them in our dedications this morning. Therefore, with God as our partner, with Jesus and other saints as fellow travelers, and with the Spirit of God as our strength, we struggle, we persevere, we try again and again "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Therefore, like Jacob who becomes Israel, like Timothy and Paul, and like the widow before the unrighteous judge, may we, too, persevere in the faith. Countless saints have walked the road before us, preparing our way. The divine Spirit of God directs us and guides us. We are not alone on the journey. And so, with all that encouragement and support, may we keep the faith ... may we persist in the way of Christ ... may we persevere in our lives with God, who continues to be our loving Father.

Copyright © 2007 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee