Third Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, June 9th, 2013click here for past entriesLoving God, you continue to give life, even in the midst of death and despair. Fill our hearts with the same compassion for others as you have for us, and work through us by the power of your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
There are a number of miracles that we heard about today in which God gives life. God gives life to the widow at Zarephath through the oil and meal that seem to keep reproducing and that provide food for many days. God gives life to this same widow and to her son, using Elijah in order to raise her son to life. And God gives life to another widow and her son in the gospel, as Jesus raises her son to life. So what makes these widows so special? Why would God perform miracles in this way for them? [responses?]
Perhaps we could say that they were the people with the greatest need. In the case of the widow at Zarephath, she was starving. She is not unlike some of the women in Africa today who live in areas that are plagued by drought, and who go out to gather sticks in order to try and make something for their children to eat. This particular widow is about to use up the last of her food when Elijah is sent to her. There is no doubt that God sends Elijah where there is a desperate need and a thirst not only for life but for some good news.
In a way, this desperation that is present for the widow at Zarephath gives us a glimpse of the type of life that could have been waiting for the widow at Nain. How much do you know about how widows were supported at that time and in that culture? [responses - only support from children(sons); after that, almsgiving] So the fact that this particular widow has just lost her only son means that she has also lost her only means of support. And Jesus’ response is to be filled with compassion.
Actually, both of these stories have a lot to teach us about what God is like. I asked earlier why God would perform miracles for these particular widows, and at least part of the answer for the widow at Zarephath is that she really doesn’t know what God is like. Did you notice in the first reading why she thinks that her son has died? She thinks that this is God’s judgment for her sins! This couldn’t be further from the truth. And so God listens to the prayers of Elijah and restores her son to life, that both of them might know God’s mercy and God’s life-giving power.
As for the widow at Nain, we simply know that Jesus saw her situation and was filled with compassion for her. Jesus is living out the compassion and mercy of God and is exhibiting God’s power to give life even in the face of death. Jesus is also living out some of the promises given in the book of Isaiah that speak of resurrection as well as fresh joy for the meek and the neediest people (Isa. 26:19; 29:19).
Of course, many today might wish for similar miracles. So many pray for healing. So many pray for renewal and resurrection in the face of death and decay. The truth is that life-giving miracles still happen, but we don’t always identify them as something that God has done. It may not be as dramatic as bringing somebody back to life who has already died, but might involve little deaths and little resurrections.
Some of the “little deaths” that people might experience include things like divorce or serious illness or loss of mobility or losing your job or a fractured friendship (Sundays & Seasons). Yet, there can also be little resurrections – things like reconciliation or forgiveness or healing or a fresh start. God continues to be at work in our world, and what is our response when we see it happening?
I’m curious how many of you have had experiences where you have known beyond a doubt that God was at work. [responses?] Some of you have spoken about answers to prayer – some even about miracles of healing. Some have talked about situations where God has brought something good out of a time of trial or difficulty. Some have found the birth of a child to be a blessing in the midst of loss. Some have experienced strength that is not your own that you know has come from God. Would any of you like to add anything? – times when you knew that God was at work?
There will be an opportunity to share some of these things both today and in the weeks to come on a poster that asks the question “What has God been doing lately - both for you and around you?” You don’t have to put your name on it, but you can take a sticky note and write on it something that God has done lately – either something in your life or something in the world around you. Together we will begin to get a sense of what God is up to these days.
As we continue to think about these things today, consider the response of the people in the gospel when they realize that God has been at work right there in front of them. While this translation says that “fear seized all of them” (Lk. 7:16), this seems to be fear in the sense of reverence and awe. It’s like a collective, “Wow! Did you see what just happened?” They know about the great prophets of old – guys like Elijah and Elisha – who raised people from the dead, and so they think that Jesus must be somebody similar. However, even apart from Jesus’ identity, they simply know that this is God’s power at work.
And so, they worship. They give praise and thanks and glory to God. And then they tell all their friends and neighbours. May God grant us the eyes to see and the ears to hear as God continues to work in our world by the power of the Holy Spirit. May we be granted the ability to see not only the big miracles, but the small miracles – the little resurrections. And then, having recognized the presence of God among us, may we also be led into worship and praise, giving glory and thanks to God, even as we dare to share with others what God has done.
We have not been left all by ourselves. God continues to work in our midst to give life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Lectionary 10(C) 1 Kings 17:8-24
June 9, 2013 Luke 7:11-17
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison
© 2013 Lynne Hutchison All Rights Reserved
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