For All the Saints
All Saints Sunday – NL 3
November 3, 2024
Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN
1 Kings 17.1-24
In addition to the Sidonian widow, there’s a second woman in our reading, hovering off-stage but exerting oversized influence nonetheless. Since Solomon’s dedication of the temple last week, his son Rehoboam has managed to undo what his father and grandfather, King David, had done in unifying the country, thus plunging it into civil war. Rehoboam takes bad advice from those who don’t know any better and the result is two kingdoms instead of one. The Northern kingdom of Israel now has its own set of kings separate from the Davidic kings of the Southern kingdom of Judah. More to the point, virtually all the nearly 40 kings (and one queen) with the exception of two are “bad kings,” doing “what was evil in the sight of God.”
What was the evil they were doing? They were marrying foreign women and forsaking the Lord for the gods of their wives. In this case, King Ahab’s wife is the infamous Sidonian princess Jezebel (yes, that Jezebel!) and the god he begins to worship is Baal. Ironically, in the midst of drought it is helpful to know that Baal is the god of vegetation and rain. Today, the prophet Elijah arrives on the scene and after being fed by ravens in Gilead travels deep into enemy territory of Sidon where he encounters the famine-stricken widow.
We tend to think that prophets predict the future, but a prophet’s job is to bring a word from God to God’s people. Many times it is a word of exhortation and sometimes it’s a word of comfort. So, more often than not, the prophet does more forth-telling than fore-telling. Even so, being prophet means using both words and deeds, also known as prophetic acts. This is the case today as we see with Elijah. Immediately after today’s reading, Elijah will chastise King Ahab again and he will enrage Jezebel by mocking Baal and destroying the prophets of Baal, fleeing for his life. But today Elijah demonstrates God’s power over life and death.
It is tempting in this election year to rant against leaders whose policies and positions negatively impact the most vulnerable and marginalized like King Ahab and the widow. Unfortunately, it is not the powerful who suffer for their misdeeds but the vulnerable such as the widow and her son. But given today, I’d rather focus on our dependence upon God in uncertain times. I admit that it is troubling to think about a God who causes a famine to punish the apostasy of the powerful and to use death to bring about life. We’ll see that next week in our story of Jonah. For today, we’ll trust that God is ultimately on the side of life.
That’s the message God sent in his Son Jesus, that no matter what life throws at us, God is continually working in, with, and through the world to bring new life. Death does not have the last word nor is it the most important word we hear. In providing for the widow, empowering Elijah’s resuscitation of her son, and the uncertainty of Jesus’ death on the cross, God speaks clearly that nothing is beyond God’s power.
Today is All Saints when we confess like the widow does to God’s life-giving power. As I mentioned in my newsletter article this month, I’ll be remembering my Uncle Vern who died a few months ago. I particularly remember his amazing memory, that even at the age of 98 he could remember every single car he bought, the year he bought it, and how much he paid for it. He was also a fantastic gardener with numerous hostas. I asked him once how many he had and without hesitation he responded, 220. But more so I’ll remember his assurance of heaven, the resurrection to eternal life, and his conviction that he will be together again with his wife, my aunt Elaine.
And, if I may be so bold to stretch your wonderment a little bit, I’ll also entertain the provocative thought that even King Ahab and Queen Jezebel are not beyond God’s love and reach, because God holds all things in God’s hands. After all, every one of us is a “mixed bag,” both saint and sinner. Maybe they’ll even be gathered around the Table with us because nobody is beyond God’s love and the Table is “For All the Saints.” Thanks be to God! Amen.
