There was a widow in that city and she came to him continually and saying, “Grant me justice against my accuser.”
​~Luke 18:3
 
Rise up Judge of all the Earth!
Let not mortal-kind prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.
~Psalm 91:19
 
It seems that questions about the fairness of our judicial systems is not new. The Luke text for this 6th Sunday of Easter is about a widow and a judge who disregards her. Why? She has no husband, no inheritance, no social standing. She has nothing. And the judge? He doesn’t care. He seems only to be out for himself, and she has nothing to offer.
 
But she succeeds. Why? She simply will not give up. The judge says it this way in Luke 18:5: “I will grant her justice, so that she may not ultimately come to violence against me.” He is concerned that she may come up and slap him in the face. He is, quite literally, trying to save face!
 
This story may not strike us as especially inspiring, but it offers an important lesson about the power of perseverance, and about the practice of it as a central behavior of Christian discipleship and of the realm of God’s Spirit. It may be one of particular use for us in this time.
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Acts 17:1–4, 10–12 † Psalm 9:1-14, 18-20 † Titus 3:1-8 † Luke 18:1-8
 
About the Art: Dou, Gerard, 1613-1675. Old Woman Reading, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57167 [retrieved May 12, 2025]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerard_Dou_005.jpg.

“Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.”
~Luke 15:6
 
Let this be engraved for a generation to come,
so that a people yet unborn may praise the Wisdom of the Ages:
19 that she looked down from her holy height,
from heaven the Creator of All beheld the earth,
20 to hear the groaning of the prisoner,
to set free those who were condemned to die;
~Psalm 102:18-20
 
Rejoice with me!
 
Do you imagine these to the be the easiest and quickest words to come out of the mouth of the Holy? Rejoice! What is lost is found— a sheep, a coin, a child, a prisoner, a slave, a worshipper. Rejoice in the good creation! Rejoice in restoration! Rejoice in new life!
 
Let’s repeat what we noted last week: If the Christian story is anything, it is a story of liberation. Lost sheep are found. Prisoners are liberated. Asylees find safety and belonging. New friendships are formed. Our homes become places of joy. And when we take a look back, we might be astonished and what has transpired.
 
This Sunday we will do a little of this—in worship, and in our congregational meeting afterward. “Rejoice with me,” God the Shepherd says, “I have found my lost sheep.” “Rejoice with me,” she says, “I have found my lost coin.” There is no more joy in heaven, or perhaps on earth, than when what was lost is found. Let us rejoice together for this too is the good work of Easter!
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Acts 16:13-22, 40 † Psalm 102:17-21, 25-28 † Colossians 4:10-17 † Luke 15:1-10
 
About the Art: Swanson, John August. Celebration, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56538 [retrieved May 12, 2025]. Original source: Estate of John August Swanson, https://www.johnaugustswanson.com/.
 
About the Artist: John Swanson studied with Corita Kent at Immaculate Heart College. His unique style is influenced by the imagery of Islamic and medieval miniatures, Russian iconography, the color of Latin American folk art, and the tradition of Mexican muralists.
 
His art is in no way "naïve." It is detailed, complex, and elaborate. Unlike many contemporary artists, John Swanson works directly on all phases in producing his original prints. His serigraphs (limited-edition screen prints) have from 40 to 89 colors printed, using transparent and opaque inks creating rich and detailed imagery. For each color printed the artist must draw a stencil on Mylar film. This stencil is transferred to the silk screen for printing the color ink on the serigraph edition. The resulting serigraph is a matrix of richly overlaid colors visually striking and technically masterful.
 
Mr. Swanson’s art is represented in the permanent collections of many museums, including three museums of the Smithsonian Institution: The National Museum of American History, The National Museum of American Art and The National Air and Space Museum. He is also included in the print collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Harvard University’s Fogg Museum, the Tate Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. His painting THE PROCESSION is one of relatively few works by contemporary artists to be selected for the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Modern Religious Art. [from the artist's website]

“Ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham and Sarah … be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”
~Luke 13:16
 
Then the chains fell from his hands.
~Acts 12:7
 
If the Christian story is anything, it is a story of liberation. Women and men, bent over, beaten down, battered by demons of all sorts, are freed and restored to new life, returned to their communities, or new ones. Chains are miraculously removed, prisoners are released. Powers and principalities are confronted and overcome from below for the emancipation of those pressed down beneath them.
 
There are tensions, of course. Onesimus’ story (Book of Philemon) finds the whole community valuing him, advocating for him. But he remains an object “useful” to others; no one advocates for his liberation. Paul is freed from prison and shows up at Mary’s door. But Rhoda, who is a reliable observer, is mocked as the butt of a joke. She remains enslaved in a Christian household.
 
Societal attitudes should never be out from under the scrutiny of this gospel that always moves us toward freedom and toward the freeing of those who live under oppression in our midst because of gender identity or appearance or any other factor that diminishes them in our eyes. The stone has been rolled away, but all are not yet free.
 
The good work of Easter continues.
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Acts 12:6-17 † Psalm 69:1-3, 13-17, 30-34 † Philemon 1:1-2, 7-16 † Luke 13:10-17
 
About the Art: Gogh, Vincent van, 1853-1890. Road Menders, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55606 [retrieved April 28, 2025]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_The_Road_Menders_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg.

“I have come to cast fire upon the earth and I would that it were already blazing!”...
~Luke 12:49
 
Yet God my Sovereign is from before time,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
~Psalm 74:12
 
Perhaps it is a surprise this early in Eastertide, in this season in which we celebrate the triumph of life over death, to encounter texts seemingly aflame with uncertainty, resistance, and conflict. Yet in our Jesus stories, and in all of our sacred texts, the world remained crucified and crucifying even as it was being redeemed. Perhaps to our disappointment, this is no less true now than it was then. And yet, how could it be otherwise?
 
Indeed, this is a challenge, a conundrum of faith. As much as we might prefer to perceive ourselves and our salvation history moving linearly from despair to hope at least, and at best, from strength to strength, such does not seem to be our lot. The choices we and everyone makes have consequences. Resistance rises. Cycles of violence continue—especially against those who do not enjoy the privilege that others do.
 
To pronounce resurrection, to proclaim Easter is not to welcome an unabashed kindom of peace. This gospel story was fired in the crucible of the real world and will not deny real experience. We know all to well that theologies of violence will always compete with theologies of peace—as if reality is even that binary. Indeed, this faith shines a spotlight on and gives voice to all of it as it does a window into our most closely held, and fragile hopes—and the Saving One who is fully present amidst it all.
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Acts 8:1-12 † Psalm 74:1-12 † Ephesians 6:10-18 † Luke 12:49-53
 
About the Art: Koenig, Peter. Flame Resurrection, 1963. https://www.pwkoenig.co.uk/Portfolio/flame-resurrection [retrieved April 28, 2025]. Original source: Peter Winfried (Canisius) Koenig, https://www.pwkoenig.co.uk/.