Sunday October 17,2010

Thank you to: greeter and collection- Tom; readers- Val K, Val G, Frances; collection counters- Arline and Mary; organist- Liz;

This week we talked about persistence in our lives and in our prayers. The parable from the gospel was the persistent widow.
We see persistence when a child wants something, in our determination to accomplish a goal........ When have you persisted in your life? The Sunday School children helped me retell the story of the persistent widow during the Children's Time. The widow saw the system to be unfair but she persisted. The judge didn't care. In what ways are we like the judge? When are we indifferent or uncaring to others plight? Do we respond to some and not others?We need to recognize a cry and then never tgive up on it until our quest for justice and hope in the situation. The jusdge didn't care but think of how, in contrast, Gopd cares and loves each one of us. If a corrupt and unjust judge will render justice because the widow is persisten, how much more is God, who loves us and is concerned about us, willing to answer when we call to Him??
We need to be persistent in our prayers,too. We must remember thatGod always listens but responds in His way, in His time and it may not be what we had in mind.The acronymn P.U.S.H. really applies to today's message..... pray until something happens.Jesus calls us with the example of the widow and the unjust judge to have faith and to trust that God, in His goodness, will bring about the justice we all seek, the blessing we all require and that we should contimnue in prayers for these things until they happen.
The miners and their families in Chile were such an example of persistence in prayer, faith and hope. They knew there were 34 in the mine... for God was with them.Thanks be to God!