Proper 27B’24
10 November 2024
I Kings 17.8-16
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone <+>
O God of Grace, and God of Glory, whose ways are higher than our ways: Make us always to be open to your surprising and redemptive possibilities; and illuminate our minds with faith and hope, by the light of your truth, through your son, Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. Amen. – The Rev. Carey Stone
Throughout my ministry as a priest there have been several Sunday mornings where I have expressed the sentiment: ‘No one envies the job of the preacher this morning!’ After such a tumultuous campaign cycle and now in the aftermath of the presidential election, I have experienced many different emotions. With my family, my church family, my friends, and the general public, I have encountered Intense emotions from elation & celebration, to anger & outrage, and sadness & profound grief.
I’ll never forget an experience I had back in 2016 with one of our now dearly departed friends, Dan Dennis. During the Republican national convention Dan came into the church office with a spring in his step and plopped down in a chair wearing that big smile of his. With glee he asked us, “Well, well, did you see the convention!” My response was a surprise and probably disappointing for him, I said, “Well Dan, I find myself in the unique position of being a pastor to both Republicans and Democrats, and I would hope neither one of them would dread to see me coming to their hospital bedside!” That is still what I try to live by and it is my continued commitment to all of God’s people at St. Luke’s!
So, back to my task as preacher, what should I preach on? I could side with the victors, and preach with a celebrative tone, or I could side with the defeated and preach with a depressive or angry tone. But St. Luke’s is not an extension of the headquarters of any political party, but a refuge and haven for all who pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven!”
The Anglican spiritual path has often been referred to as “the middle way” between the extremes. Rather than insisting on a perspective of either/or, the middle way seeks to hold the perspective of both/and. Rather than being either all celebration or all grief, the “middle way” can hold both at the same time.
This morning, I know there are people listening who are excited about the election outcome and slightly baffled at the reaction of those who voted for Harris. There are others who are deeply saddened by the election results and are mystified that anyone could have voted for Trump. Wherever you are this morning I’d like to offer a faith-filled third option – surprise!
In our OT reading we meet a woman who had been in great despair, her and her son were starving to the point of death, they were down to their last scoop of flour, and their last tablespoon of oil. Her despair had turned from despair to resignation. She had gone out to gather sticks for a small fire to cook her and her son’s last supper of pita bread and water. This was the sad reality of the tragic end of her life and her son’s life. Meanwhile, behind the scenes God was up to something! God was actively working in the life of the prophet Elijah. Through prayer and meditation the word of the Lord comes to Elijah and instructs him, “Go now to Zarephath and live there, for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”
Names in the bible almost always mean something, and sometimes their definitions coincide with destinies of individuals. Zarephath was such a place, and means “a place of refining, testing, and purifying metal.” In bible times it was located in an area called Phoenicia, but we know it today as Lebanon. Wow! Could God possibly be at work even today in Lebanon? I pray so.
Elijah sees the widow at the gate of the city, discerns that she is the woman God had told him about and her asks her for bread. Locked in her despair and resignation, she lets him know her grim reality. But into her place of utter destitution comes someone who has heard from God and offers her the opportunity to take a one step of faith: “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. The jar of meal will not be emptied, and the jug of oil will not run out until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” In effect he was telling her, ‘If you will trust God enough to give to God’s messenger first, you and your son will be taken care of.’
By faith, she obeyed the word of the Lord through Elijah and then the miracle of God’s multiplication occurs. They all ate for days and days without running out. Once again, as is often the case in biblical stories, ‘Little becomes much when offered up in faith to God.’
This is what God has sought to do throughout time and continues to do today God enters our situations through divine agents and brings to us, not doom or gloom but surprise! The wonderful, energizing, and lifegiving surprise that God was up to something, and my friends, I dare to say, God is still up to something – in our world, in our country, and in our lives and our family’s lives, and yes even in those we may consider to be our enemies and adversaries.
The blessing of our desperation is that it opens us up to the possibility of God’s surprise! There is a way – even though we can’t see it, redemption happens when we offer up what we have to God, and God will take it, brake it, and bless it to our benefit and to those all around us. About this time, you might be saying “that all sounds great Fr. Polyanna!” What about right now, what do I do now, how do I live while waiting for the surprise of God.
I’d like to share with you the best pastoral response I could find. It comes from Romans chapter 12 and I’ll read it from The Message translation:
Marks of the True Christian From Romans chap.12 (The Message)
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all…
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Let it be dear Lord, let it be!