A Snack and a Nap 1 Kings 19.1-16; BMPC 6.16.13 Rev. Berry French Introduction Today s Scripture passage is from the Old Testament book of 1 st Kings. It s the lectionary text that follows Shannon s sermon last week on the prophet Elijah and King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Now, I most often choose to preach on the New Testament, and specifically, I tend to stay in the Gospels. I admit a bit more comfortable with stories of who Jesus was and how Jesus lived his life. But there is a rich and powerful breadth to our whole story, our collective story about God s history in the world particularly with our ancestors of the faith the ancient Israelites. God has chosen to reveal his character through the recorded stories of our ancestors and how they experience God s holy presence in their lives. God is a big God, and we ve been given a Scripture full of books that hold generations and generations of wisdom on who God is and how God works in the world stories of how people of deep faith have connected to God, stories of how ordinary people who make plenty of mistakes experience God s awesome grace. Not to mention that Jesus, himself a Jewish man, studied and drew from these Scriptures to guide his earthly life. And so we turn this week to the Old Testament book of 1 st Kings. We get to listen in on how the prophet Elijah experiences God s presence and God s goodness at a time when he s decided it s not worth it anymore and he s ready to throw in the towel. Ok, before we jump into today s story, let me bring us up to speed on what s going on in the larger story, just in case you haven t read 1 st and 2 nd Kings recently: The basic plot line is that there are a series of bad kings who disregard God s covenant and there are prophets whose only job is to be God s spokesperson and try to bring those with the political power back towards God. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn t. Political power is complicated you know. It was just as bad back then as it is these days probably worse. So here towards the end of the book 1 st Kings, it s King Ahab (bad) and the Prophet Elijah (good he s God s spokesperson). Just before our verses pick up, Elijah and God have proven that God is the one true God through a public religious 1
stand-off with the prophets of Baal (who Jezebel s people worship) God wins with a public display of power and then Elijah kills all the prophets of Baal. That s enough to get the idea. I m picking up in the beginning of chapter 19. Text: 1 Kings 19.1-16 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. 3 Then Elijah was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. 4 But Elijah himself went a day s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors. 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, Get up and eat. 6 Elijah looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you. 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, What are you doing here, Elijah? 10 Elijah answered, I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away. 11 He said, Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 2
13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, What are you doing here, Elijah? 14 He answered, I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away. 15 Then the Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint a new king i over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint a new king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha as prophet in your place. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God. Sermon So why doesn t any of the stuff in the bible happen anymore? You mean: Why doesn t God perform miracles like in the Old Testament like the burning bush and parting the red sea and stuff like that? I ask to try and clarify before I attempt to articulate an answer that I m not quite sure about myself. Yeah, that stuff never happens to me. And all these people in small group keep talking about how they feel God or have heard God s voice. This just doesn t happen to me. So, I stumble through an answer that tries to leave room for God to speak how-ever God decides to speak, but mostly affirming that I also don t hear God s audible voice, and I haven t had any experiences that were as clear or at least maybe as black and white as a burning bush or a voice from heaven. And I agree I also struggle with how to make sense of many of the miracles in recorded Scripture. But I also try to include that I have been sure of God s presence in my life before. Now I m certain it wasn t a complete answer to the question, but I pray it accomplished what I judged was more important: welcoming the question, 3
assuring her that her questions and doubts are a healthy part of the journey, and tipping my hand to God s presence in my own life. One of the ways that I do experience God s presence is through conversations like that that happen up in Montreat at youth conferences all summer long conversations like that one that have been happening with people of faith all over the globe, in various languages, for generations upon generations. A few of them get have been recorded in Scripture, but most are conversations and stories shared between friends. Certainly one of the ways that God most speaks to me is through relationships and through conversations with friends where God s Spirit is certainly present. This past week I had the privilege of being with eleven of our young people at the Montreat Youth Conference just up the road we joined another 11 hundred Presbyterian youth and adults from all over the country listen to God s voice and God s call on our lives. The theme of the week was Hear and Be Heard. Once there is a trust established, young people are so spot on with their questions and observations and wonderings. I know Beth and Bruce Gunn and I all felt like our faith was deepened and somewhere we did hear God s voice through a week of living with and listening to our high school students and to their wonderings. This past week, somewhere in the late nights conversations and the laughter around the meal table, somewhere in the enthusiasm of close game of corn hole and the powerful sound of one thousand young people praying the Lord s prayer in perfect harmony with the same rhythm and cadence God spoke loud enough or quite enough for me to hear. And I trust God spoke both assurance and affirmation at just the right volume for our young people to hear and believe, just as God spoke to Elijah in a way that he could hear. There is a lot in this story of Elijah and God: messy corrupt politics, a death threat, an near suicide attempt with the accompanying feeling of complete loneliness, probably depression, and then powerful displays of tornados, and fires. It s not that distant from the news we read this week. Actually, it might not be all that different from our own lives. 4
And yet somewhere mixed up in the isolation of his loneliness, in his fear, and in his exhaustion somewhere in mixed up in all of that, God s voice comes to Elijah. God s presence is known to him in a way that s unmistakable. Now it s encouraging to me that even these exemplary Old Testament prophets get frustrated at God, get lonely and even decide it ain t worth it, there s too much evil in the world and they are ready to give up. It s even more encouraging that God shows up time and time again with just what we need. Queen Jezebel issues a hit out on Elijah. Elijah flees to the wilderness, sits down in the dessert under a solitary tree and asked that he would die: The Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your alters, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away! It is enough. O Lord, take away my life. now that s loneliness. And what comes next an angel of the Lord shows up with fresh baked cake and water to drink. And then Elijah lays down again. It s just what Elijah needed a snack and a nap ii Oh the power of a snack and a nap. God knew what Elijah needed food and rest, and then time time away from the noise of life and the distractions of politics and time to refocus and reconnect with the Author of Life. And then fueled by the food and the nap, Elijah spends time in the woods, and there God meets him. God invites him to come and experience the Devine presence, and then God re-commissions him to go and carry out his calling. God offers Elijah encouragement and purpose. But how does Elijah s story connect with ours? What does this old, old story mean for us, today, this week; here in our life with our own loneliness, our own fear, and our own frustrations with God, our own need for purpose? One thing it means is that despite our unfaithfulness or our lack of courage, God will still speak to us, God will still meet us on our journey with just what we need. Maybe it s a snack and a nap. Maybe it s a phone call from dear friend who will listen. Maybe it s a new passion to recharge your batteries. Maybe it s a hug from a dear friend who understands what you re going through without the need to exchange words. Maybe it s reconciliation in a damaged friendship. 5
Maybe it s a new connection with a mission of this congregation. Maybe it s an afternoon in the outdoors. Maybe it s freedom from the bondage of an unhealthy relationship. Maybe it s freedom that comes from embracing God s forgiveness and letting go of the guilt that you still carry around with you. Maybe it s a week of rest that you deeply need. Maybe it s Sabbath in just the form that you need it. Elijah ends up in the wilderness because he is fleeing for his life, and yet the wilderness is exactly where he needs to be to prepare for and recognize his encounter with God. My prayer is that we find the courage and discipline to be a bit more proactive in carving out the space in our lives to be attentive to the voice of God. If we follow Jesus example, then we will practice the art of withdrawing to a quiet place to listen. Friends, God will speak. The question is Will we listen? And then will we have the courage to obey to what we hear? [Prayer:] O Lord, meet us on our journey with what you know we need. Prepare us to be able notice and receive it. And give us the eyes to recognize your presence and your grace in the gift. Amen. i I omitted/simplified the names recorded in verses 15 & 16 to simply the text for this particular sermon. ii Snack and a Nap idea from Rev. Scott Phillips at Montreat Youth Conference Keynote on 6/11/13. 6