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.

The story of Elijah and the widow takes place during a troubled time in the history of Israel. The king of Israel was Ahab and we are told that he did many things that were evil in the sight of the Lord, including his marriage to Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. (1 Kings 16:30-31) Throughout this time there was a great drought, a sign of God’s displeasure with all that had happened. But throughout the time of the great drought, God reached out and cared for his prophet Elijah; first by ordering the birds of the air to feed and care for Elijah, and then by sending him to the widow of Zarepheth. The story of Elijah and the widow is a powerful story for many reasons: the people were suffering through the terrible drought, yet God provided for them in miraculous ways; Elijah and Jezebel, the king’s wife, had become bitter enemies, yet Elijah’s care for the widow was done in Sidon, the home land of Jezebel; and God’s care for both Elijah and the widow required their trust not only in God but their trust and care for each other. This last point is very powerful and highlights a fundamental understanding of the Christian faith: we are the Body of Christ, and as sisters and brothers of that Body we are connected in mutual relationships of love and service to each other.

Our first lesson begins this morning with Elijah’s arrival at the widow’s home. She was preparing her final meal, having lost all hope in her future. Elijah’s insistence that she make a small cake for him and then prepare her meal for herself and her son was not a request made from a selfish insistence that he satisfy his hunger, but was a request that was meant to show the widow his confidence and trust in God’s promise of loving care for them. “For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” (1 Kings 17:14) Elijah, the widow and her son ate for several days and continued to care for each other with the favor of God. Even the unfortunate illness of the widow’s son was not beyond the loving care of God. All of these events took place during the difficult days of Israel’s history and in a land that was in the midst of a foreign people. All these elements show that God’s love knows no boundaries and seeks us out where ever we might be found.

This morning we celebrate the Baptisms of Andrew and Thomas. Through the saving waters of baptism, Andrew and Thomas are not only made one with us in the Body of Christ, but they are recipients of our promise to love and care for them, as we have promised to love and care for each other. Their parents and sponsors will promise to nurture their growth in Christ through their prayers and witness; and we all will promise to support them in their life in Christ. As the children of God, we are the Body of Christ, the one community gathered under the love of God and people given a mission to love and support each other, much as the mother bear cares so deeply for her cubs. As children of the Body of Christ, and on this special day for Andrew and Thomas, I pray that we will all teach them through our prayers and witness. And as we go out from this place may we spread God’s loving care into all the world. AMEN.