Elijah's God Gives Life

1 Kings 17:8-24

June 9, 2013

This story about Elijah troubles me.  Does it trouble you?  If not I think it should. The first part is the kind of story that makes the Bible seem to be a book of fairy tales. A destitute widow lived in a port city, a commercial capital known for exporting wine, grain and oil.  It was outside of Israel, where the people don’t know the Lord, but worship Baal.  The people inside Israel were worshipping Baal too, the god of the harvest, and the Bible says the Lord sent a famine caused by drought to punish them.  The people in Zeraphath were suffering from the famine too.

The widow Elijah met was about to use her last bit of flour and oil to make the one more meal to share with her son before they died of starvation. Then Elijah came along, asked her to share her food with him and told her that his God, the Lord of Israel would make the flour and oil last.  So she took him up on it, shared her last pizza with Elijah and her son, and like magic there was still flour and oil enough to make pizza the next day, and the next day, and the next.

           
As I just told the kids this part of the story is about compassion, and about the value giving to others even when it seems that we won’t have enough, and about God’s providence for us – helping us to be free from fear of not having enough so that we can share what we have.

           
This part of the story does seem like something from the Brothers Grimm where the magic bowl is always full of stew.  But this doesn’t bother me so much because I’ve seen it in practice.  My grandfather started his ministry during the Great Depression.  My grandmother was determined to marry him, in spite of her mother’s warning that as a minister’s wife she would always be poor.  One little church in Maine was so poor they could hardly pay them. Live chickens, and a standing woodlot served to supplement their salary.  Poor grandma, a city girl, had no idea what to do with a live chicken, while grandpa had to use his ax both to chop off the chicken’s heads, and fell the trees and burn them green to keep the parsonage warm.  Like many who lived through the depression, my grandparents never stopped hording old nuts and bolts, wearing clothes decades after the fashion had changed and saving the water from cooked vegetables to put into their homemade soups.  They shunned debt, waiting 8 years after marriage before trying to have children – my mom is their only child.  At the end of their lives their frugal ways had provided enough that they could give me all the money I needed to attend seminary and come out debt free.  But they were also generous giving to the church and other charities all of their lives.  And they always had room at their dinner table for guests – oh how they loved to invite others to dinner. 

           
I have seen this financial principle of abundant life in God’s care practiced in many churches too.  Though people new to the process of adopting a church budget might be shocked, it is very common to pass a projected budget where the expenses significantly outweigh the income.  And usually when churches are living faithfully by the end of the year such a budget comes out ok even without eating into endowment funds. This is considered financial success.

Our church lives like this.  Last year we had to cash in some money salted away for a rainy day to pay the last $3,000 worth of bills.  This year has been looking even tighter. But just when the Church Council heard the alert and I started worrying we got news that dear Barbara Baldwin, long time member here, who died a year ago today, left 10% of her estate to this church.  This is not a coincidence, it is a god-incidence – God’s providence for his people. Plans are underway to invest most of her gift, but our treasurer and I can rest more easily knowing that God is providing for us, just ask God provided for Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.

            
 But the next part of the scripture passage for today is the one that really troubles me. For just as one crisis was met by God’s providence another crisis occurred Zarephath.  While Elijah was still living as a guest in the widow’s home her son, who not only gave her comfort after her husband had died, but also served as her only health insurance and pension in her old age, this boy got sick and his “illness was so sever that there was no breath left in him.” A euphemism like “passed away” to buffer the cold hard fact that he died. 

In her grief the widow looked for someone to blame.  Surely a God who can keep oil jars and flour canisters filled could also make a sick boy well.  If Elijah didn’t offer any prayers to let her son live, maybe he had something against her. If Elijah’s God let her boy die, perhaps the Lord, the God of Israel wanted to punish her for some sin she committed.

When the accusation left her lips Elijah didn’t argue – “oh no, ma’am, the Lord isn’t like that.”  Instead he took the boy upstairs, put him in bed and made the same accusation to God – “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”  He then performed a kind of healing ritual three times until the boy came to life. When the woman saw the miracle of her son brought back to life she came to believe in Elijah’s God, the Lord of Israel.

At first glance we might want to say this story shows how Elijah is a man of power, called by God to act with that power to save even the widows of the world, and give life to those who have died.”  But there is an assumptions here that really troubles me.  It is a common belief even today, that God rewards the good with life while all death is God’s punishment for our sin.  The widow assumes that she has done something sinful for God to punish her with the death of her son.  And Elijah doesn’t argue with her. 

Elijah’s actions make it worse as he prays for the boy on his bed. “In effect Elijah implies, ‘Look, God. You sent me to this widow in the first place, and now will you add insult to injury by having her blame me for the death when in fact it is you who have killed him?’ It all comes back to this belief, shared by the widow and Elijah, that the Lord is the culprit here, a God who spends divine time evaluating human behaviors and doling out nasty punishments for that behavior, even to the death of innocent children.”[1]
  
When the Lord listens to Elijah and gives the boy back his life, the widow’s response seals, “the theological mess we find ourselves wallowing in. ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.’ Because Elijah has brought the child back from death, he has proven himself to be a man of God and all he utters can be trusted to be true.”[2]

I was glad to find Professor John Holbert’s reflections on this passage which he titled Love Your Bible but Watch Out!  Holbert argues with the conclusions of this Bible story saying, “God is not in the business of finding ways of punishing human sin by slaughtering loved ones. Nor does God send messengers to announce such terrible claims. If God is like this, then I want no part in such a God or in such a way to view the world in which I live.”

Holbert is daring enough to propose that in this story, Elijah and the widow have not told the truth about God.  His voice comforts me when he claims that, “God can’t be boxed into a simple reward/punishment nexus, not even by the Bible itself.”  He notes that the search for blame when something tragic happens bubbles up naturally when we are in despair.  But the results of this frame of mind can’t be trusted.  Those who create theology in this frame of mind, Holbert concludes, “make God ultimately responsible for cruel acts that ought to lead to prison time rather than worship.”

It has been curious to me as I read accounts of people’s conversions.  Events such as death threatening thunderstorms were often at the beginning of a conversion story.  People seemed to become more aware of their own mortality and the choice of eternal punishment or the way of salvation offered by preachers served to motivate many to join the Methodist church.  If the tragedy led people to God should we say God caused the tragedy?

This is where reading the Bible in context – holding one passage up against another – can be so helpful to our faith.  The scripture assigned to us for next week speaks to this troubling problem presented in 1 Kings 17 today.  In chapter 19 we find Elijah running away from danger, hiding in a cave, feeling dejected and wanting to die.  While in the cave, God told Elijah to stand on the mountain.  First there was a great wind breaking rocks into pieces. But the bible says, the Lord was not in the wind.  After that an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  Then a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  Finally, all was still.  The sound of sheer silence, a still small voice. That quite calm was where Elijah found God.

I do not believe that God causes tornados that devastate whole towns in Oklahoma, or severs storms like Sandy, or famines, or deranged people with automatic weapons to open fire in public places full of civilians.  God doesn’t cause birth defects, or cancer to make people faithful.  What I do believe is that after such tragic events many people enter into a new spiritual state of awareness.  In their trauma their spiritual antennae are raised, searching for comfort and solace and strength to push through their grief into life. 

When we are in need we are more likely to lift our empty cups and ask God to fill them.  When we are hungry we are more likely to ask the Bread of Heaven to feed us. And when we experience God’s providence our faith is strengthened. I believe God provides for us, even when we think we don’t have enough.  Knowing God can help us to set down our fears of scarcity, and life a life of abundance.  I invite you to lift up your hearts to the Lord so that your soul may be quenched, and you find yourself filled with the Spirit of Jesus, the Bread of Heaven until you know you have enough and are ready to share God’s gifts with others.

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[1] John Holbert Love Your Bible But Watch Out!

[2] John Holbert

Elijah's God Answers by Fire

1 Kings 18:20-39

June 2, 2013

In Memory of Roger P. Mann, Grace Mann Miller and their family

 Are you on fire?  Turn and ask your neighbor this question.  Are you on fire?

When I was still in seminary a new Superintendent was appointed to my United Methodist district here in New England and when I met him for the first time he asked a question that stuck with me, “What gives you fire in the belly?”  I don’t think I’d ever heard that term before so it stuck with me.  Fire in the belly; energy and determination, stamina, vigor, a drive to take action.  It is a good question to ask when we think about the ministry of the church – both the individuals who are part of the church, and congregations as a whole.  Do we have fire in the belly?

A consultant sat in a circle in the church hall with members of a small congregation that wanted to grow.  She started the meeting by having each person state what he or she thought the church should be doing and made a long list of activities, many of which they used to do when they had more members.  The consultant followed this by saying, “This time we will go around but only tell me those things you have passion and energy to do now.”

When it comes to life in the church, a life of faith, being on fire with passion and energy makes all the difference, both for the church as a whole, and for the members.  The sense of being on fire often marks the beginning of a new and exciting ministry.  In the 1700s the church in England was weak and lifeless.  After years of bloody wars and conflicts between Protestant and Catholic, Puritans and Anglicans folks had just stopped going to church. John Wesley, a new Priest in England was struggling with his faith, feeling like a failure when he attended a prayer meeting one evening in London and felt a little fire, he wrote, “his heart strangely warmed.”  This event was the catalyst that fired up all the elements God had given him to show the people of England a new way of being and doing church.  Wesley understood that fire in the belly was vital to the Methodist movement.  And not just the fire made of paper; intense but short-lived.  But fire in the belly, hot coals that are constantly tended and fed and thus cannot be easily quenched.

For this reason early Methodists had two stages of membership.  When people were at a revival and the preacher inspired them to become Methodist they would start attending weekly class meetings and become Probationary Members.  But they needed to stick around, engage in works of piety like scripture reading, prayer and worship, and works of mercy caring for the sick and poor and imprisoned.  If after several months or a couple of years the class leader could see evidence that the fire was still burning, that person was made a Member in Full Connection with the Methodist society.

The probation period shortened over time but this was still how it was here in South Walpole when Sanford and Ella Mann became members in full connection on October 7, 1877.  They had been through a period of probation. Even children who had grown up in the church had to go through a probationary.  Harry and Walter Mann became probationers when they were teen-agers and full members five months later.   The church wanted to make sure that their members were on fire.

            Passion and energy, fire in the belly; it’s an important ingredient in the spiritual life.  The symbol of fire is key to the life of the church, not only the United Methodist Church which adopted the cross and flame as our logo, but the church as a whole from the time of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus setting each one on fire.  And the fire of God was there before Pentecost – in Old Testament Times: in Moses’ burning bush, in Daniel’s fiery furnace and there is fire in today’s story about Elijah.

            But the Bible knows, and we all have experienced that fires can grow cold, burn out.  This is where we find Elijah.  He was a prophet of Israel when the fire of faith was nearly out.  King Ahab was not very faithful.  He married Jezebel, who had no interest in serving the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This union led Ahab to start dabbling with Jezebel’s god Baal, and the people followed suit.  Baal was the exciting Assyrian god of thunder– he was called The Prince, the Powerful, The Rider of Clouds.  Where there was thunder there was also rain so Baal also got credit for being the god of fertility – both agricultural and human fertility.  So the Jews in the kingdom of Israel were sitting on the fence, still thinking of themselves as good people who loved God, but also devoting much of themselves to the worship of Baal.  Faithfulness to God had dwindled so much that there were 450 prophets of Baal to one prophet of the Lord, Elijah.

            But at this time Ahab’s kingdom was in the midst of a drought.  Nothing was growing and the people were starting to get desperate.  Elijah convinced Ahab to gather the prophets of Baal together with the people of Israel and hold a contest. One ox would be sacrificed to Baal and one to the Lord, and the people promised to stop sitting on the fence and become 100% loyal to whichever god answered by fire.

            Elijah was gracious and he let Baal’s prophets go first.  They killed their bull and began their rituals (putting on their lucky socks, tugging on their sleeves) and prayed to Baal all morning even dancing their lucky dance steps and singing Sweet Caroline in the 8^th inning stretch.  But nothing happened.  In the afternoon while Elijah mocked them, they prayed even harder and louder, finally shedding their own blood by cutting themselves to persuade Baal. “They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen on the altar, but nothing happened—not so much as a whisper, not a flicker of response.”[1]

            Then Elijah took his turn.  First he took twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel and rebuilt an altar – making it clear that this altar was for the Lord of Israel - of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Then he dug a trench around the altar, laid the firewood, cut up the ox and put it on the wood.  Then he surprised everyone when he asked that four buckets of water be poured over the ox and the wood – and had them do this three times until everything was soaking wet.  Then Elijah offered his prayer, affirming that he was there as the Lord’s servant, ready to lead the people to full faithfulness.  Immediately the fire of the Lord fell and burned up everything, the ox, the wood, the stones the dirt and even the water in the trench.

            When the people saw this they worshiped the Lord with awe singing “The Lord is the true God; The Lord indeed is God.”

            This is good news for us.  If the Lord can set a soggy altar on fire so that even the water burns up, surly the Lord can set us on fire.  It doesn’t matter if we are burned out, depressed, tired, old, young, too busy or not busy enough – the Lord can set us on fire, and rekindle our fire over and over again. A church can go through divisive conflict and loose members until it feels like there are only a few smoldering coals and the Spirit of the Lord can fan the flames and lead new people to join until the church becomes a bonfire again.  We can let our attention be divided so much that other things take primary place in our life, but the Lord can set a fire that draws us back, cleanses us of our sins and create a powerful change in our hearts so that we know that it is the hand of the Lord touching us, and reclaiming us for a life of service to God and to our neighbors.

            In preparation for welcoming the Manns today I reached out to some of the pastors who knew Roger, Grace and their parents Walter and Marion.  Rev. Jim Winn wrote that Marion was, “a person whose faith gave her life an inner and outer beauty.”  And Vivian Winn added that, “Grace's beautiful music and bright personality enriched so many lives.” Marion’s passion for the church led her to teach Sunday School, and to invite the neighbor children, including the Potters to walk with her to the church. Grace took the fire of God with her and together with Bruce they made their churches and communities in Natic and Templeton brighter and warmer. We will take some more time to share more memories of Roger, Grace and their family after the next hymn.

            But for now we need to ask ourselves the question I started with.  Are you on fire? Do you have fire in the belly?  Are you involved with a ministry, an activity that gives your life purpose, something for which you have passion and energy? I invite you to take time this week to meditate on the nature of your fire.  Is it burning brightly, or is it a bed of dying embers?  If it’s the latter, do not despair.  God can set a soggy altar on fire! Perhaps you have been focusing your attention in the wrong direction?  If what you are doing gives you no results, if God is not blessing it, perhaps it’s time for a change.  Loyally serving without passion is recipe for burnout.  Notice where the fire seems strongest, what issues arouse your passion.  Start to make changes to put more of your energy there and by the grace of Jesus the flames will rise up.

Pray to the Lord – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Lord Jesus Christ who sends his Holy Spirit like fire on his disciples.  Pray like Elijah with faith that God will give you the same gracious answer – and set you on fire, until you feel so powerful a change in your soul that you are sure that it is God’s work.  Let the next hymn be your prayer – let us first read it together and then sing it with all our hearts.

See how great a flame aspires,
Kindled by a spark of grace!
Jesus’ love the nations fires,
Sets the kingdoms on a blaze:
To bring fire on earth He came;
Kindled in some hearts it is:
O that all might catch the flame,
All partake the glorious bliss!

When He first the work begun,
Small and feeble was His day:
Now the word doth swiftly run;
Now it wins its widening way:
More and more it spread and grows,
Ever mighty to prevail;
Sin’s strongholds it now o’erthrows,
Shakes the trembling gates of hell.

Saints of God, your Savior praise!
He the door hath opened wide!
He hath given the word of grace,
Jesus’ word is glorified;
Jesus, mighty to redeem,
He alone the work hath wrought;
Worthy is the work of Him,
Him who spake a world from naught.

Saw ye not the cloud arise,
Little as a human hand?
Now it spreads along the skies,
Hangs o’er all the thirsty land:
Lo! the promise of a shower
Drops already from above;
But the Lord will shortly pour
All the spirit of His love.

 

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[1] The Message