Lost Causes?

Just a quick blog post- a reflection from the prayers I led today, which is the day the Anglican church remembers the apostles Simon and Jude. The Exciting Holiness website tells us the following:

"Simon and Jude were named among the twelve apostles in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Simon is called 'the Zealot', probably because he belonged to a nationalist resistance movement opposing the Roman occupation forces. There is no indication in the gospels whether Simon moved from the Zealot party to be a follower of Christ or, on the other hand, if after the resurrection he became a supporter of that group, seeing it as a response to God's call to proclaim the kingdom.
Luke describes Jude as the son of James, while the Letter of Jude has him as the brother of James, neither of which negates the other. It seems he is the same person as Thaddæus, which may have been a last name. Owing to the similarity of his name to that of Judas Iscariot, Jude was rarely invoked in prayer and it seems likely that because of this, interceding through him was seen as a final resort when all else failed. He became known, therefore, as the patron saint of lost causes.
The two apostles are joined together on this day because a church, which had recently acquired their relics, was dedicated to their memory in Rome in the seventh century."

What do we consider to be a lost cause? A person, thing or situation that can’t be changed for the better? What comes into our minds when we think of a situation that might be a lost cause? The refugee crisis, breaking up of the NHS, War in the Middle East and Africa, Persecution of LGBT people, illness without a cure, people struggling with addiction, the ability to stand up against corrupt regimes, inequality, environmental damage.

These may, by some, be considered lost causes, battles not worth fighting because they’re already lost. Situations where the outcome is inevitable.

Yet central to our faith is hope. Creation is ongoing, revelation of God within that creation is also ongoing so can there ever truly be a lost cause? As we work towards God’s kingdom coming among us we might just be the person who takes in the refugee, challenges government policies which harm the vulnerable, works for peace, defends the persecuted, researches the cure, counsels the addict, stands up to corruption, rejects inequality and stewards creation.

Fighting the lost causes may make us hated or despised, as the Apostles like Jesus before them were hated and despised. To begin with the apostle’s mission must have seemed like a lost cause- there were so few of them to achieve what needed to be done. But that’s part of the wonder of God. He uses us and our abilities to achieve what should be impossible.