Persistence

He declared the creation “good, very good”, and even when messed up by Adam and Eve's slide into sinful separation from him, God did not give up on the enterprise.

When the crowd scoffed at Noah and his family, God cleaned up the mess and began again to work with mankind.

When God gives a promise to Abraham, he may test him sorely, taking him right to the very brink of sacrificing his only son, but God persistently hangs onto the promise he has made, and sends Abraham forth with promises renewed.

When the Hebrews face watery oblivion with the Egyptians hot in pursuit, God brings them safely through and thwarts Pharaoh's plans.

When the people murmur in the wilderness, God does not cast them aside, but persistently provides for them, despite their frequent ungratefulness.

When Jonah refuses the task set before him, God does not discard him, but redirects him back to the task he intended him to serve.

The story ends with God questioning Jonah rather than condemning him for his hard-headedness.

When Ezekiel speaks his vision of the valley of the dry bones, the emphasis is on the power and persistence of the Lord to put his Spirit where the people only see death and hopelessness.

But his persistence did not end with the prophets.

There is an old prayer of the church which we use each September. It begins:

Our Lord Jesus, you have endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for trying to be judge over you, and grant us the confident faith to acknowledge you as Lord.

Someone must have asked Paul the foolish question, “Well, if God is going to forgive me anyway, then why can't I just go ahead and do whatever I feel like at the moment?

Paul responds firmly, “By no means!”

He reflects God's patience with us that instead of dismissing them and us as complete dunderheads, Paul forthrightly explains the truth yet again.

Patience, persistence, a bit at a time.

These are the ways in which the risen Lord Jesus deals with the disciples after the resurrection.

They only come to know and comprehend all of this slowly.

Patience, persistence, a bit at a time.

These are the ways in which the risen Lord Jesus deals with us as well.

Some may receive the gift of faith quickly, and for that we give thanks to God.

But for most of us, faith in Christ is revealed to us in small doses.

Thanks be to God that the Lord knows better than we do how much we can handle at a given moment.

Thanks be to God that he is willing to use so many different means to work with us such as the sights and sounds, and words, and actions of this night.

Thanks be to God that he calls so many different people to faith, such as Tanya and Audrey tonight, and surrounds us with those who can share their experiences of the faith.

We're glad when we can manage some small measure of patience and persistence,

but tonight it is our joy to acknowledge the vitally important persistence of God when we confess:

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.