|
Psalm 132:1-13 1 Lord, remember David, 2 How he swore an oath to the Lord 3 “I will not come under the roof of my house,” 4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep, 5 Until I find a place for the Lord, 6 “The ark! We heard it was in Ephratah; 7 Let us go to God’s dwelling place; 8 Arise, O Lord, into your resting-place, 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; 10 For your servant David’s sake, 11 The Lord has sworn an oath to David; 12 “A son, the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne. 13 If your children keep my covenant |
Persistence
The route of the triathlon went right by our house. I sat on the front porch to cheer people on. The first runners came through, lean and fast. After swimming more than I could ever swim, cycling further than I could ever pedal, they were sprinting for the finish line and made it look easy. Breezy. I thought to myself: Definitely another species. It is not now, nor could ever have been my experience.
That was midmorning, and the participants went by throughout the day. By late afternoon, there were just a few. It was a group I could identify with. Some older than you might imagine would wisely enlist for such a race. Others may have made a few too many visits to Dunkin Donuts. Some shuffling. Some walking. Some nursing pain. But they were intent on finishing. I was as impressed with their persistence as I was with the strength of those at the head of the pack.
For most of us, life is more like marathon than sprint. Furthermore, it’s not a race we can choose to enter on a lovely fall weekend. No opting out. It’s a long haul. It requires taking the long view. It requires persistence. It requires endurance. That doesn’t just happen. It takes training. It’s true of the spiritual journey. The language we use for training in the church is that it takes spiritual practice.
So what spiritual practices are good for us if we want to train for the marathon? These come to mind: A steady, honest prayer life. Time spent in quiet contemplation. Engagement with scripture in some habitual way. Regular participation in the eucharist. Gathering with other people of faith (those also running the race so you can talk about how tough it is). Service to others. All of these foster spiritual persistence and build spiritual endurance.
The psalm printed above, one you may have heard in church on Sunday, talks about the spiritual gift of persistence. David will not rest until he feels his spiritual mission is fulfilled. David may come across as spiritual superheroes, like those at the head of the triathlon pack. Yet the Bible is careful to indicate he was by no means perfect. Nevertheless, he persisted. That’s good news for all of us.
Persistence is not one of the fruits of the spirit listed by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians (although patience is related). But it seems to be one of the qualities exhibited by saints, especially saints who dealt with adversity (which means most of them). It’s related to endurance which is a key theme found in the letter to the Hebrews, a sermon to a congregation under fire.
Speaking of marathons, the author of Hebrews writes the following in chapter 12: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls or lose heart.
I have no clue where the need for persistence, for endurance surfaces in your life this morning. It may be a need you sense in your household, in your work place, in your faith community, in this divided nation, in this broken world. But as we move into Advent, with expectation of the coming of the Christ child, perhaps we can prepare by finding our own way to look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter, the author and finisher of our faith. Maybe when we do that, we can run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
-Jay Sidebotham
