Pentecost 3 (1 Kings 17:8-24)  06/09/2013

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My family and I have enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors and have particularly enjoyed camping for several years. As we moved from the suburbs of Chicago to the outskirts of Washington D.C., we decided we would pay a bit extra and store our camper in a storage area so it would be close by. After many months of finding ourselves too busy, we finally packed up the camper and headed west to the Shenandoah National Park to enjoy the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley. There were many beautiful and interesting sites to see, but there was one experience that was especially memorable. As we were driving along Skyline Drive, we noticed a black bear crossing the road, and suddenly the bear stopped halfway across. After a brief pause, there were two bear cubs that emerged from the bush and crossed the road as their mother closely watched; once the cubs were safely to the other side, the mother followed behind. The experience was exciting to watch, especially from the safety of our car! I am certain the experience for the West Hartford family that encountered a black bear in their backyard last week was not nearly as exciting to watch. However, the incident did give an example of how a mother’s love for her family knows no bounds; like a scene out of a movie, a wondering black bear and her two cubs enter the backyard of a mom and her family. When the overzealous bear decided she was going to enter the home, the courageous mom firmly stood her ground at the back door with her foot extended, just to be sure there was no misunderstanding – “no entry allowed!” This type of motherly love and care is exactly what we hear in the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. Continue reading →