Pour Water On My Head, But I Won't Go Away!
Drama
Women In The Wings
20 Biblical Monologues
Making It Preach
With this parable, Jesus lifted up to his disciples their need to pray always and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). That type of persistence is much easier spoken of than practiced. Due to lack of faith in God's power to answer prayer, feelings of inadequacy in our praying, fear of what prayer answered might mean, and plenty of other reasons, we tend to pray only for short periods of time on a need-to-pray basis. Persistent prayer takes hard work, and it is easy to get discouraged when we do not see obvious results. But, the trust this widow sings of is what it is all about, trust in God's love and God's desire to give us good things. That is especially true since Paul assures us that the Holy Spirit takes our prayers and makes them acceptable to God. We do not have to look to the Bible to see examples of answered prayer; they are all around us. As it is written in the epistle of James: The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5:16b).
Making It Play
If a neighbor were to wake up and witness this confrontation, one comment might well be, "That is one tough old lady!" The circumstances she faces give her the opportunity to put her take-charge philosophy into practice. Though older, energy seeps from her pores, and she probably finds as much satisfaction in the battle as she does in the victory. Her appearance should be subdued and conservative, perhaps even diminutive beneath her tunic, head covering, and shawl. This will create a memorable contrast when she starts heaving rocks onto the judge's roof. Have her go ahead and say the "boom-boom-boom" sounds. That is a part of her dramatization of the story.
The Persistent Widow Shares Her Recipe For Success
(enters, singing the spiritual)
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord
'til I die ...
You wanna know why?
Ah, of course you do. I can tell, you're sitting on the edge of your seats! You're in the house of the Lord, and you want to know you're in the right place. Well, you are! And, I'll tell you why I am so sure that you are. You got a few minutes? Of course you do -- that's why you're here.
You've all got prayers you need answered, right? Prayers for healing, prayers for forgiveness, prayers that you'll be able to resist your favorite little temptation so you won't feel embarrassed to come before God: whatever they are, you've all got prayers you need answered, right? Of course you do, that's why you're here. So, how often do you pray those prayers? Once? Twice? Twice a week, or maybe three strikes and you're out, God? No, that's not what Jesus told you. He told you to pray always and not lose heart! That's what he said, he sure did, right before he started talking about me -- yes, me! Didn't know I made it into the big book, did you? Yeah, big name, bright lights! I even made it into the title of the section that nice person just read: The Parable of the Persistent Widow. That's me!
And, why do you suppose Jesus would start talking about me right after he told his disciples to pray always and not lose heart? It's because I don't give up! There are people who have some unpleasant words for that quality, but I prefer to say that I am diligent or persistent, like the title says; if somebody knocks me down in the mud, I get right back up again, and they hear about it, too! My mother always said I cause too much trouble, that I have to learn to give and take, that I have to accept the things that don't go my way. Ah, bushel baskets! I always believed that you'll never get anywhere unless you go up to the gate and ask to be let out! And, what do you know? Jesus must not think that's such a bad way to be, since he dreamt me up!
Now, I had to be tough, okay, because when my husband died, I didn't have legal rights to anything! I wouldn't have minded if Jesus would have waited to dream me up until women had a few more rights, but it's his parable, not mine. Anyway, since we had no children to inherit the land, my husband's brother was dead, and the next of kin didn't care about the land, I kept the farm running. I had to hire a foreman to take my husband's place, but it looked as if the farm would continue to turn a profit, and I would be secure.
I should have known better! I told you I was persistent; I didn't say I was cunning. One day my neighbor sent his workers to till two-thirds of our land, and claimed it had been his all along. I couldn't pay a foreman and survive myself with the profit from only one-third of the land! My husband's uncle, the next rightful claimant of the land was too old to fight, so I had no choice but to step in! I went to the judge charged with handling land disputes. I brought the papers proving my husband's ownership of the entire property. And, you know what he told me? "I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't help you. Perhaps you could go live with your husband's uncle. Perhaps he will have pity on you." Pity? Pity! The last thing I wanted was pity -- if my mother had heard that, she would have warned him that he had really done it and had better prepare for battle. And, though I don't believe in violence, that is exactly what he was about to get!
I found out where he lived; don't ask me how -- I have my sources! I waited until the dinner hour when I was sure he was sitting down with his family to a big meal, and I knocked on the door. Well, he was a bit irritated that I interrupted his meal, but his wife had already let me in, so he would have appeared heartless to throw me out at that point. He told me I could wait in the next room. Well, I waited and waited, while the family finished up and went their separate ways, and when I finally heard footsteps coming toward me, it was his wife with a plate of food. "So sorry you lost your husband, dear. I hope this will help." That was all she said, and walked out. She thought I was there for charity, and I was too stunned and frustrated to catch her in time to explain. That's what that heartless, godless man told her, so she believed him. Well, I fed that plate to the oxen on my way home, realizing that I would have to be more direct on my next visit.
And, there was another visit, all right, that night, when the moon had passed over halfway through the sky. I approached the house quietly, barely a peep from the chickens, and armed with my biggest soup ladle, I banged on the door so hard that the hinges creaked! When he finally shouted, "Who is it?" I shouted back just as loudly, "I want my land back!" When he told me to go home, I just kept banging until the entire household was awake. He opened the door and looked as if he wanted to wring my neck, but due to his family standing there, he said with tight lips, "Come to the city gate tomorrow, and we'll see what we can do." Well, I wasn't prepared to receive another hearing so soon, so I went home, rejoicing in my victory. But, remember I said I was persistent, not cunning? He never showed up! I waited all day, but the other elders said they had not seen him, either. Though tired from my excursion the night before, I decided it was time to pay this nice family man another midnight visit.
This time I brought stones, carefully concealed in my apron in case soldiers saw me on the road at night and suspected me of making trouble. So, when I got to the judge's house, I started throwing stones up on the roof so that they would make all kinds of racket when they landed. And, just in case he didn't get the hint, I shouted praises to the Lord, and appropriate acclamations about our Lord, from Psalm 146:9, that would give his whole family no question as to the reason I had come. (heaving stones up on the roof) "Praise the Lord!" --aboom-boom-boom. "The Lord's name be praised!" --aboom-boom-boom. "The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow" --aboom-boom-boom --a"but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin." BOOM -- that was a big one! Well, what do you know? I saw the whole family at the window, mouths open, not sure what to make of me. "I want my land back," I simply told them.
Well, it looked as though I had moved them; one of the younger sons even came running out of the house toward me. But, instead of stopping before me, he headed over to the water trough, and the next thing I knew, I was soaking wet. That little urchin! But, I refused to lose my dignity. The wife was clearly embarrassed about her son's actions, and as she came out to scold him and apologize, I told his father, "You can pour water on my head, but I won't go away until you give me back my land." He looked at me, rolled his eyes, then he saw his wife giving him the kind of stare that only a wife or mother could get away with. Finally, in a voice of pure exhaustion, he told me he would go to my neighbor the following day with reinforcements and make sure that my husband's land be returned to me until a kinsman redeems it. I challenged him, still in the hearing of his family, "How do I know you'll show up this time?" "He will be there," his wife said carefully, therefore ... I knew he would be.
So, "What's this got to do with prayer?" you may ask me. You have a couple more minutes? Of course you do, that's why you're here! You see, as Jesus pointed out to his disciples when he laid out my story, "Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will God delay long in helping them?" Ah, bushel baskets! Of course not! If somebody as evil as that judge will grant justice after a couple of sleepless nights, God will surely grant it simply out of love. Now, I do have to caution you. That justice may not always look the way we want it to up front, but we have to trust that God knows what it's supposed to look like better than we do! I didn't exactly count on getting soaked to the skin by a boy no taller than my hip! But, it worked out! And, if you think hard enough, I bet every one of you can think of many prayers that have been answered, or even wishes satisfied that you didn't even think of as prayers. So, just because it sometimes seems like things aren't going your way, is that any reason to stop praying and stop trusting in the Lord? Of course not! You know that. That's why you're here!
Now, join me in these words, first sung by people who went through an awful lot that was not an answer to prayer, yet continued to pray without ceasing.
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord ...
Amen.
With this parable, Jesus lifted up to his disciples their need to pray always and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). That type of persistence is much easier spoken of than practiced. Due to lack of faith in God's power to answer prayer, feelings of inadequacy in our praying, fear of what prayer answered might mean, and plenty of other reasons, we tend to pray only for short periods of time on a need-to-pray basis. Persistent prayer takes hard work, and it is easy to get discouraged when we do not see obvious results. But, the trust this widow sings of is what it is all about, trust in God's love and God's desire to give us good things. That is especially true since Paul assures us that the Holy Spirit takes our prayers and makes them acceptable to God. We do not have to look to the Bible to see examples of answered prayer; they are all around us. As it is written in the epistle of James: The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5:16b).
Making It Play
If a neighbor were to wake up and witness this confrontation, one comment might well be, "That is one tough old lady!" The circumstances she faces give her the opportunity to put her take-charge philosophy into practice. Though older, energy seeps from her pores, and she probably finds as much satisfaction in the battle as she does in the victory. Her appearance should be subdued and conservative, perhaps even diminutive beneath her tunic, head covering, and shawl. This will create a memorable contrast when she starts heaving rocks onto the judge's roof. Have her go ahead and say the "boom-boom-boom" sounds. That is a part of her dramatization of the story.
The Persistent Widow Shares Her Recipe For Success
(enters, singing the spiritual)
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord
'til I die ...
You wanna know why?
Ah, of course you do. I can tell, you're sitting on the edge of your seats! You're in the house of the Lord, and you want to know you're in the right place. Well, you are! And, I'll tell you why I am so sure that you are. You got a few minutes? Of course you do -- that's why you're here.
You've all got prayers you need answered, right? Prayers for healing, prayers for forgiveness, prayers that you'll be able to resist your favorite little temptation so you won't feel embarrassed to come before God: whatever they are, you've all got prayers you need answered, right? Of course you do, that's why you're here. So, how often do you pray those prayers? Once? Twice? Twice a week, or maybe three strikes and you're out, God? No, that's not what Jesus told you. He told you to pray always and not lose heart! That's what he said, he sure did, right before he started talking about me -- yes, me! Didn't know I made it into the big book, did you? Yeah, big name, bright lights! I even made it into the title of the section that nice person just read: The Parable of the Persistent Widow. That's me!
And, why do you suppose Jesus would start talking about me right after he told his disciples to pray always and not lose heart? It's because I don't give up! There are people who have some unpleasant words for that quality, but I prefer to say that I am diligent or persistent, like the title says; if somebody knocks me down in the mud, I get right back up again, and they hear about it, too! My mother always said I cause too much trouble, that I have to learn to give and take, that I have to accept the things that don't go my way. Ah, bushel baskets! I always believed that you'll never get anywhere unless you go up to the gate and ask to be let out! And, what do you know? Jesus must not think that's such a bad way to be, since he dreamt me up!
Now, I had to be tough, okay, because when my husband died, I didn't have legal rights to anything! I wouldn't have minded if Jesus would have waited to dream me up until women had a few more rights, but it's his parable, not mine. Anyway, since we had no children to inherit the land, my husband's brother was dead, and the next of kin didn't care about the land, I kept the farm running. I had to hire a foreman to take my husband's place, but it looked as if the farm would continue to turn a profit, and I would be secure.
I should have known better! I told you I was persistent; I didn't say I was cunning. One day my neighbor sent his workers to till two-thirds of our land, and claimed it had been his all along. I couldn't pay a foreman and survive myself with the profit from only one-third of the land! My husband's uncle, the next rightful claimant of the land was too old to fight, so I had no choice but to step in! I went to the judge charged with handling land disputes. I brought the papers proving my husband's ownership of the entire property. And, you know what he told me? "I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't help you. Perhaps you could go live with your husband's uncle. Perhaps he will have pity on you." Pity? Pity! The last thing I wanted was pity -- if my mother had heard that, she would have warned him that he had really done it and had better prepare for battle. And, though I don't believe in violence, that is exactly what he was about to get!
I found out where he lived; don't ask me how -- I have my sources! I waited until the dinner hour when I was sure he was sitting down with his family to a big meal, and I knocked on the door. Well, he was a bit irritated that I interrupted his meal, but his wife had already let me in, so he would have appeared heartless to throw me out at that point. He told me I could wait in the next room. Well, I waited and waited, while the family finished up and went their separate ways, and when I finally heard footsteps coming toward me, it was his wife with a plate of food. "So sorry you lost your husband, dear. I hope this will help." That was all she said, and walked out. She thought I was there for charity, and I was too stunned and frustrated to catch her in time to explain. That's what that heartless, godless man told her, so she believed him. Well, I fed that plate to the oxen on my way home, realizing that I would have to be more direct on my next visit.
And, there was another visit, all right, that night, when the moon had passed over halfway through the sky. I approached the house quietly, barely a peep from the chickens, and armed with my biggest soup ladle, I banged on the door so hard that the hinges creaked! When he finally shouted, "Who is it?" I shouted back just as loudly, "I want my land back!" When he told me to go home, I just kept banging until the entire household was awake. He opened the door and looked as if he wanted to wring my neck, but due to his family standing there, he said with tight lips, "Come to the city gate tomorrow, and we'll see what we can do." Well, I wasn't prepared to receive another hearing so soon, so I went home, rejoicing in my victory. But, remember I said I was persistent, not cunning? He never showed up! I waited all day, but the other elders said they had not seen him, either. Though tired from my excursion the night before, I decided it was time to pay this nice family man another midnight visit.
This time I brought stones, carefully concealed in my apron in case soldiers saw me on the road at night and suspected me of making trouble. So, when I got to the judge's house, I started throwing stones up on the roof so that they would make all kinds of racket when they landed. And, just in case he didn't get the hint, I shouted praises to the Lord, and appropriate acclamations about our Lord, from Psalm 146:9, that would give his whole family no question as to the reason I had come. (heaving stones up on the roof) "Praise the Lord!" --aboom-boom-boom. "The Lord's name be praised!" --aboom-boom-boom. "The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow" --aboom-boom-boom --a"but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin." BOOM -- that was a big one! Well, what do you know? I saw the whole family at the window, mouths open, not sure what to make of me. "I want my land back," I simply told them.
Well, it looked as though I had moved them; one of the younger sons even came running out of the house toward me. But, instead of stopping before me, he headed over to the water trough, and the next thing I knew, I was soaking wet. That little urchin! But, I refused to lose my dignity. The wife was clearly embarrassed about her son's actions, and as she came out to scold him and apologize, I told his father, "You can pour water on my head, but I won't go away until you give me back my land." He looked at me, rolled his eyes, then he saw his wife giving him the kind of stare that only a wife or mother could get away with. Finally, in a voice of pure exhaustion, he told me he would go to my neighbor the following day with reinforcements and make sure that my husband's land be returned to me until a kinsman redeems it. I challenged him, still in the hearing of his family, "How do I know you'll show up this time?" "He will be there," his wife said carefully, therefore ... I knew he would be.
So, "What's this got to do with prayer?" you may ask me. You have a couple more minutes? Of course you do, that's why you're here! You see, as Jesus pointed out to his disciples when he laid out my story, "Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will God delay long in helping them?" Ah, bushel baskets! Of course not! If somebody as evil as that judge will grant justice after a couple of sleepless nights, God will surely grant it simply out of love. Now, I do have to caution you. That justice may not always look the way we want it to up front, but we have to trust that God knows what it's supposed to look like better than we do! I didn't exactly count on getting soaked to the skin by a boy no taller than my hip! But, it worked out! And, if you think hard enough, I bet every one of you can think of many prayers that have been answered, or even wishes satisfied that you didn't even think of as prayers. So, just because it sometimes seems like things aren't going your way, is that any reason to stop praying and stop trusting in the Lord? Of course not! You know that. That's why you're here!
Now, join me in these words, first sung by people who went through an awful lot that was not an answer to prayer, yet continued to pray without ceasing.
I will trust in the Lord,
I will trust in the Lord ...
Amen.
