Persistence: The River That Carves the Rock

First Reading

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF HOSEA

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, "Name her Loruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen." When she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said, "Name him Loammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God." Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God."

HOSEA 1:2-10

Psalm

REFRAIN Show us your mercy.

You have been gracious to your land, O Lord, you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.

You have forgiven the iniquity of your people and blotted out all their sins.

You have withdrawn all your fury and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation. R

Restore us then, O God our Saviour; let your anger depart from us.

Will you be displeased with us for ever? will you prolong your anger from age to age?

Will you not give us life again, that your people may rejoice in you? R

Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.

Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. R

Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth shall spring up from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. R

The Lord will indeed grant prosperity, and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness shall go before him, and peace shall be a pathway for his feet. R

PSALM 85

Second Reading

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE COLOSSIANS

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

COLOSSIANS 2:6-15

Gospel

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ACCORDING TO LUKE

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

LUKE 11:1-13

The Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

Imagine a ravine. Steep rock walls stretch high into the sky, and in the middle, a river flows. But the ravine wasn’t always there. Over time, the river carved it…slowly eroding the rock, cutting into it until the ravine was formed.

This image is a metaphor for persistence, a theme that runs throughout our readings. Persistence means sticking with something…continuing despite opposition or resistance. Being persistent means being like that river…continuing to flow, despite the hardness around you, until you eventually achieve your desired outcome…in other words, create the ravine.

This theme touches all our lives. Have you ever woken up in the morning and not wanted to face the day ahead? Have you ever prayed and prayed, but felt like your prayers weren’t being heard? Have you ever known you had to face something hard, but struggled to summon the strength to do it?

Surviving things like this requires persistence. But persistence is hard…especially when we don’t see quick results, or when we’re tired, stressed, or feel alone.

And that’s where Scripture speaks to us. Today’s readings don’t just tell us to persist…they show us how God persists with us, strengthening us in our daily life.

Let’s start with Hosea, a difficult passage to hear. Hosea uses harsh language: “whoredom.” This imagery is meant to describe how Israel has turned away from God. They’re chasing after other gods, breaking their covenant…cheating on God…much like someone caught on a Coldplay kiss cam. And as we’ve heard before in the prophets, God says God will punish the people for their behaviour…removing God’s love…turning away from them.

But even after all that God says God will do to them, the passage ends with a very positive line: “The number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea…and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’” No matter what the people do, how terribly they sin, they will always be God’s children…God’s love for Israel persists.

Psalm 85 echoes this theme. It speaks of mercy and forgiveness: “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Once again, we see God’s persistence…God keeps reaching out, keeps calling the people back, offering peace…God’s mercy is like a river that never stops flowing.

Colossians shifts from God’s persistence to our own. The letter notes, “Continue to live your lives in Christ, rooted and built up in him.” We are to be grounded, steady, unwavering…rooted like a mighty tree, built up like a strong foundation. The life of faith is a way of living…where, despite the challenges, we remain firm in what we know about Jesus and his call to us. In other words, we are persistent in our faith.

Finally, the Gospel. Jesus tells the very familiar story about a man knocking on his friend’s door at midnight. The friend doesn’t want to get up…but Jesus says, “because of [the man’s] persistence, [his friend] will get up and give him whatever he needs.” Jesus goes on to say, “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened.” The image is of someone who doesn’t give up…he keeps asking, searching, knocking…in the belief that if he persists, his needs will be met.

I don’t know the details of all your lives right now. I don’t know exactly what burdens you’re carrying, what you're waiting for, or what you're praying for. But I do wonder—do any of us need to hear this message today?

I think we have all, at one point or another, been faced with what seem like insurmountable challenges…whether it is, as I noted earlier, finding the strength to face a new day…continuing in prayer despite the sense that nothing is being answered…or even just dealing with all the hard stuff on the horizon. We all have to persist, or we end up stuck, unable to move forward, drowning in our own lives.

Today, Scripture tells us that persistence is seen in God’s relationship with Israel, spoken about in the early church, and taught by Jesus. But reading about persistence in Scripture doesn’t always help directly. It offers insight, but we still have to get up each day and do the work of being persistent people...we still need to ask, seek, knock, pray, and live through rocky seasons. And this is really hard to do.

Maybe the way forward is to shift our perspective. When we recognise our struggle to persist…when it feels like we are barely hanging on…calling to mind what we read in Scripture could give us the nudge we need to keep going. Scripture reminds us of God’s persistence with us, no matter what we do, of the fact that being persistent has been a part of the faith story for centuries…Scripture gives us hope and encouragement. And when that is just not enough, we can rely on the gifts God has placed in our lives…the real, tangible signs that support us: our families, our church family, our friends, even our little furry companions. All are signs of hope, they encourage us forward in unique and wonderful ways. They remind us to never give up knocking at the door.

So whatever your mountains are…grief, fear, disappointment, exhaustion…think of the river slowly carving the ravine. Think of God’s persistence with Israel…the persistence we are called to embody as Christians. Keep showing up. Keep praying. Trust that the door will be opened.

Let us pray: Holy One, When we are tired, remind us to keep going. When we feel like giving up, give us one small reason to continue. Help us be like rivers…flowing, faithful…trusting that you are shaping something new, even in what seems unmovable. May we lean on each other, trust your love, and remember that you never give up on us. Give us the strength today and always to be people who persist. Amen.